SP: Poverty alarm in Albania

“Recent studies from Unicef show that 23% of the Albanians live in poverty, and 10% of the Albanian families live in extreme poverty”, Kosta Barjaba declared.

According to Barjaba, the indicators are even deteriorated, if you refer to the recent studies from the World Bank, which measure poverty based on the real revenues and the buying power.

“The recent studies of the World Bank for poverty in Albania, compared with the data of the region, offer a number that is oddly real, 62.1%”, Barjaba declared.

The last poverty measurement in Albania was made in 2008, and SP experts have their arguments why this situation has deteriorated.

“We are all aware that after 2008 we have the flat tax, an economic recession and more expensive prices for raw materials. The situation is worse than 2008”, Beqja declared.

According to the opposition, another concerning tendency besides poverty is the deepening of inequality.

“Our incomes are 30% of the average income in the EU, and this is true. But in Diber, Shkoder, Lezhe and Kukes this figure is 10%”, Beqja declared.

The SP experts say that the main programs through which the government tries to lower poverty and inequality have failed.

“The economic assistance, which is the only program that fights poverty, covers only 1/3rd of the need that poor people have, and doesn’t even cover the extreme poverty level, which is 1 USD per person each day”, underlined the Socialist MP, Ilir Beqja.

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