Budget 2012 voted in principle

The session started with the PM Berisha’s speech, who underlined that the budget serves to the citizens.

“Increasing wages and pensions is the major goal of this budget. This is a constant policy of this government, unprecedented in the history; a policy that has increased the average wage of the Albanians from, 2006 to 2012. The minimal wages and pensions increased with 120%. This policy built the infrastructure of this country, for saving its human face and caring heart. The pensions have increased from 480 billion to 1040 billion”, Berisha declared.

Opposition voted against draft.

But the Socialist Parliament Group leader, Gramoz Ruci, offered an agreement for consensual voting of the budget, if the government would agree to remove and reduce VAT taxes on basic food products and progressive tax.

But the government did not accept any of these propositions, and Prime Minister Berisha considered them as failed politics:

“Forget returning Marxism in Albania. That was the tax that put the Albanians in misery and most difficult times of the history, the tax that made Albanians work 7 months only for the government”, Berisha declared.

“You’re doing this for your bolshevism, not the poor class. Who can assure me that VAT decrease would decrease food’s prices as well. You will never come to power, but if you ever come, I will ask you where you will reduce VAT”, declared the Minister of Finances, Ridvan Bode.

The Socialist MP, Erion Brace, declared that this draft-budget serves only to a small group of people.

“The residence of your family has 200 square meters, that of the Parliament Speaker, with 670 square meters of land, your coalition partner has 200 square meters in “Block” and 317 square meters by the seaside, the Minister of Integration has 200 square meters more near the Park and 50 meters on the beach, the Education Minister has bought 400 square meters of land in Tirana, and a 48 square meters apartment in Germany, the Minister of Labor has bought a 106 square meter apartment in Tirana, the Innovation Minister has bought a 130 square meters apartment. 3121 square meters in total in one year, added to the other 5000 square meters of one year before. When you increase your wealth within a year, why do you refuse to pay more money for your wealth?”

Arben Malaj, former Socialist Minister of Finances, declared that Albania’s high deficits are increasing dangers of a serious crisis, and if there will be no cooperation for urgent intervention, the impacts on economy will be higher.

Ruci offered the Socialist propositions:

In an interview for Top Channel, the head of the Socialist Parliamentary Group unfolded the opposition’s conditions for passing the draft-budget:

Removing VAT for average wages, including medics, policemen, nurses. We are ready to vote the draft-budget if this proposition will be accepted.

1. The Albanians pay today twice more VAT for food products such as flour, eggs, oil, etc. We want VAT to be halved for these goods.
2. The Albanians pay 10% VAT for medical services. We want the health system to be at everyone’s service.
3. We want lower gas prices, because it has doubled since 2004 and doesn’t help agriculture.
4. Population pays 20% VAT for electrical power. We want it reduced to 6%.
5. Today there is VAT for student’s books. We want VAT to be removed for these books.
6. The majority continues to be deceitful with the politically prosecuted people of the communist regime. People more than 75 years old should be indemnified.
7. The majority continues to be deceitful with the previous land owners. We want the construction of a joint committee for resolving this situation.

“These are our propositions. This is not a populist offer, but an offer that the opposition lays down, because we are in an extreme poverty. These are realistic propositions for resolving the citizens’ problems”, Gramoz Ruci declared.

Top Channel