Economist Atom Margaryan thinks that it will be objective if the growth indicators of the current year are compared not with 2016, but with 2014 and 2015. According to him, if compared like that, the picture will not change significantly compared to those years: “It will be 3-3.5 percent. The forecasts that the government had done, should be put into that framework”.
Margaryan also said he is inclined to believe that the low economic growth of the past year leads to manipulation. “In order for the base to be very low, near to zero, you cannot show decline because donors are observing attentively. In that background, yes, we have such an image today”.
Let us remind that according to the NSS data, the economic activity within this year is 7.3 percent, while government members predict a 6 percent economic growth.
Atom Margaryan said that we should look at the quality of economic growth. “Not only figures matter, saying the quality of economic growth means its inclusiveness. In other words, what is the population’s participation in this growth”.
The economist believes that large taxpayers had to pay about 20 percent more taxes this year, for this, as Margaryan said the government cannot be blamed: “That is why tax revenue has increased. But when you compare the economic growth factors, you understand that it has grown for reasons beyond the government”.
Atom Margaryan thinks that it is wrong to give tax or customs privileges to companies for investment programs: “Because privileges should be given to high-tech companies, providing mass employment sectors”.
