ECONOMIC PLATFORMS OF CAMPAIGN PROGRAMS OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDITATES IN ARMENIA LACK SPECIFICS

armradio.am
2008-01-23 17:02:00

ArmInfo. The economic platforms in the campaign programs of
presidential candidates lack specifics and terms of implementation,
Chairman of National Center of Applied Economy Sergey Bagratyan told
journalists at a meeting organized by the Club of Economic Journalists,
Tuesday.

He said the specialists of the Center have arrived at the
above conclusion after studying the campaign programs of 4
front-runners. Thus, he said the program of Prime Minister Serzh
Sagrsyan is based on the idea of second-generation reforms. However,
the program does not reveal the content of the reforms. The candidate
proposes creating the best conditions for business and investments,
but he does not specify how, the analyst said.

The presidential candiate from ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Vahan
Hovhannissyan proposes raising the role of the state in the country’s
economic life, which is characteristic to socialists. He comes out
for restiriction of monopolies and increase of the business activity
of large sections of the population.

However, he does not explains how to do this either. The candidate
comes out for equal ecoomic development in Yerevan and regions,
S. Bagratyan said.

Candidate from National Unity party Artashes Geghamyan proposes raising
the country’s competitiveness as compared to the neighbor-states. He
proposes reducing crediting interests and believes the country must
not fully cover the import. A. Geghamyan also proposes easing the
tax burden for businessmen, however, he does not say how to replenish
the budgetary loss from the reduction of taxes, the specialist says.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the presidential candidate, the first president
of Armenia, (on public initiative) proposes more open and transparent
economic policy of the country, especially when privatizing or selling
the state property. He proposes also equal distribtuion of the tax
burden. (Exclusion of protectionism is in question).