And I don’t know one thing I would do if my salary were 81,600. Minister of Finance

To be honest, when we discuss the budget with my colleagues, the most frequently raised question that I give as an example to my colleagues is how the public will respond to what we are currently trying to do. This was stated by Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan in response to a question about how living in Armenia with the minimum consumer basket value of 81,600 drams, without bonuses and a service vehicle, would change the budget document he signed.

“Ultimately, we are reporting to the public, this is a public document and, as I said, in our understanding, the budget should be a result of some public consensus because it relates to almost all segments of our society. And I don’t know one thing I would do if my salary were only 81,600. If I didn’t know, for example, what consequences a sharp increase in social expenditures in Armenia could have and thought that it was worth implementing that change, but we are also responsible for fiscal stability and we are also responsible for being able to service the social expenditures we assume today tomorrow as well,” the minister said.