DP’s Basha Unveils ‘Economic Growth’ Program Eyeing Victory in April Elections in Albania

The opposition Democratic Party (DP) has unveiled the detailed program for economic growth, which as DP Chairman Lulzim Basha stated on Thursday is a product of months of work by the best experts.
Doubling per capita income is the primary objective. “We are committed to eradicating extreme poverty. There will be no more Albanian families suffering for bread, water and light,” he pledged.
So the first step will be to double the economic assistance for all needy families, many of which are out of the economic assistance scheme today, he said revealing that poverty as a whole will be reduced by 50% within the first governance term.
Albania is set to hold general elections on April 25 this year and the electoral campaign has started even in the conditions of the pandemic.
Further on Basha underlined that youth is the main focus of the program. The departure of young people, of this human potential, is a national catastrophe, said DP head who added that the first commitment of the program is a minimum of 110,000 new jobs, and the minimum wage will be 36,000 ALL.
“I am committed to reduce personal income taxes to 9%, maintaining the existing protection quota of 30,000 ALL, and also to set a 9% profit tax on all Albanian enterprises with an annual turnover of over 14 million ALL. I am committed to reducing social security to 18%. The total local taxes and fees of small and medium-sized businesses will not be higher than 0.5% of turnover,” said Basha.
“One of the first decisions of the government that will come out of the vote of April 25 will be the cancellation of the Rama tax of 24 new lek per liter on fuel,” stressed the leader of DP.
“I pledge that we will rise pensions by at least double the inflation rate and in any case not less than 5% per year with the aim that at the end of our first term the average Albanian pensions exceed the average pensions of the region,” added Basha.
Also he pledged to reduce the price of electricity and fuel and cover the educational costs for university fees for 90% of students coming from families with incomes of less than 64,000 ALL per month. Textbooks will be free for the entire pre-university cycle.
Basha said, “we will provide record funding from the state budget for farmers. So the Albanian farmers will have the same support as the farmers of neighboring countries. Some 100 million euros of direct support will be given as well as the provision of funds for each agricultural or livestock sectors.” /argumentum.al