Rama: “Budget 2018 brings more investments”. Basha: “It’s a money-laundering scheme”

“We reached 4% drig the second trimester”, Rama said, adding that the trade exchange balance is improving, with exports growing with 13% and imports with 6.3%.

As for public spending, investments increased with 13% the first half of the year, and foreign investments with 18%, compared to one year ago.

The Prime Minister said that the new budget is built with responsibility and realism. “Our revenues in Customs have increased with 7%, from social contributions with 10%. The real economic growth is expected to be from 3.9% to 4%”, Rama said.

Rama said that Albania has the highest economic growth in the region, and the government will keep reducing the public debt. The new budget, according to Rama, guarantees the implementation of the judiciary reform and for the state police, which will be equipped with better technology to fight crime.

Basha: Budget 2018 will launder criminal money

The Democratic Party leader, Lulzim Basha, reacted and said that the Budget 2018 will help

“This budget is built to secure Rama’s wealth, and the wealth of his people, who are all at the service of crime and of their clients”, Basha said.

The opposition leader criticized the inclusion of small businesses in the VAT system, which, according to him, the Prime Minister is going to establish later during his mandate to control the economy.

The second negative measure for the budget, according to the DP leader, is to remove tax on profit for luxury hotels.

“This will not bring any profit, only costs. The IMF also opposed it, but Rama supports it to launder dirty money”, Basha declared.

He added that the most destructive part of the budget is the 1 Billion USD project with PPP agreements, which is a money –laundering- scheme, for Basha. “We must stop the 1 billion EUR financial crime so that we can keep the mafia out of our economy”, Basha said.

Top Channel