Republican lawmaker about lavish spending: Do you think people should sit on stools? (video)
When assessing the 2016 draft budget economist Vardan Bostanjyan said ‘it is a sad and restrained budget.’ “The good thing is that one cannot find pompous words in it. I think that the 2016 budget is socially oriented and should be such as the money will hardly satisfy the sector,” he said. The economist is well aware of government’s lavish spending but the small salaries and pensions do not yet mean that the next year’s budget has a clear “social orientation”. “70% of tax revenues are formed from VAT, excise tax, which means that citizens are paying for them. As for the luxury you are speaking about I must say that many get expensive cars and renovate their homes at the expense of the state,” the economist stressed. “Of course, it cannot be termed ‘a budget of development’ but miracles do not happen in any country. As for the lavish spending I would like to say that people will be criticized anyway even if they buy a chair to sit on,” said Republican MP Manvel Badeyan. “But they also buy fuzzy sofas, don’t they?” said the economist. “Of course they do, but they can have 5 such sofas, for instance. Do you think that people who come to the National Assembly should sit on stools?” Mr badeyan said half-joking.
