YEREVAN. – Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan is saying they will raise pensions by ten percent, but the prices will increase by fifteen percent, former PM and opposition Armenian National Congress member Hrant Bagratyan stated during a press conference, on Thursday. “As a result [the people] will live 5.5 percent worse, in 2012,” Bagratyan stressed.

In his words, and with the most minimum calculations, all types of tax increases will affect the people by 55 percent.

“We can understand from PM’s speech at the National Assembly that the rich will live better,” former PM maintained. 

Hrant Bagratyan also reflected on the announcement by an agricultural official who had stated that the production of agricultural produce has grown by ten percent. If the population has reduced, how could the prices of agricultural products increase by ten percent?”, he asked.    

“I urge the authorities to oust the PM and the Central Bank Chairman. And no one is saying: ‘Mr. PM, you have had a fifteen-percent drop, and this is one of the worst in the world. The world registered a 5.1-percent, but Armenia, a 1.5-percent growth, after that,’” Hrant Bagratyan argued.