ArmInfo. The budget for 2020 is indeed a revolutionary one. On November 15, speaking from the rostrum of the parliament, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated. At the beginning of his speech, the Prime Minister noted that he was going to answer the two most frequently asked questions: is the budget for 2020 really "revolutionary", and when will citizens feel the changes?
Answering the first question, Pashinyan recalled that during the velvet revolution, even before his appointment as prime minister, he promised that within two or three years the budget of Armenia should increase by 30-35%. As it was noted, in the draft budget for 2020, the revenue part of the budget, compared to the 2018, grew by 27.4%.
"If we add to this the over fulfillment of the budget revenues for 2018 in the amount of 62 billion drams, then the growth will already be 33%. And even if you take into account changes in the tax code and the mandatory pension fund system, the growth will exceed 35%. This is a direct answer to the question of whether the budget for 2020 is revolutionary. Yes, this budget is revolutionary, because the pre- revolutionary promise has been fully fulfilled", Pashinyan emphasized.
He drew attention to the fact that the capital expenditures planned for 2020 are 135.1% higher than the actual figures for 2018.
"In 2020, it is planned to allocate as much funds for overhaul and construction of roads as were allocated in 2015, 2016 and 2017 combined. Compared with the budget for 2018, next year, for housing and utilities, the growth of allocated funds will amount to 120%; in healthcare- 39.5%, in education - 34%, in the "social sector" - 21%. In addition, in terms of social pensions and benefits, it is planned to allocate 74 billion drams more than in 2018'', Pashinyan emphasized.
The Prime Minister informed that the expenses of the Ministry of Defense in comparison with 2018 will increase by 28%, and the Ministry of Nature Protection - by 41%.
The ratio of public debt to GDP in 2020 will be 52.2% (against 58.9% in 2017). "Today, the international reserves of the Republic of Armenia are at a historically high level," Pashinyan stated.
Answering the second question, namely, whether citizens will feel the changes in the country, the prime minister noted that all these processes are interconnected. The prime minister recalled the increase in salaries for teachers and military personnel, improved nutrition in the field of military service, the introduction of new health programs.
"As a result of tax changes alone, from January 1, 2020, the salary of 230 thousand people will increase," he stressed.
According to him, this year the tourists who arrived in Armenia spent approximately $ 200-250 million more funds. Another important indicator: in the republic, economic activity in the first 10 months of this year amounted to 7.5%.
"Dear compatriots, life changes through work. The government cannot enter the house of each of you and change your life. The government can only create conditions for you to live with dignity by honest work", Pashinyan emphasized.