Malaj on 1 bln package: 40% must go for rural roads

The focus or selection of objects where the “1 billion” will be implemented should be very cautious and it should be in those sectors that develop the economy and increase employment.

This was the comment that former Finance Minister Arben Malaj made in an interview for TV SCAN, while analyzing the budget and fiscal package 2018.

According to Malaj, 40% of the fund would be very effective if invested in rural roads.

“The only thing that makes me calm is the fact that the World Bank and the IMF knowing this potential risk have forced the Albanian government to set an upper ceiling that the annual part of the payment of any concessions to the Albanian economy including the 1 billion package should not be more than 5 percent of the revenue. Here we have the problem of the accuracy of the figures. Do we know the figures correctly? Does a project begin with a precise estimate or will it happen just like in the case of Nation’s Road that started with 800 million and then ended with 1.2 billion? How professional is the selection? Is this the best structure? I personally think that 40 percent of this amount should go for rural roads,” Malaj said.

According to the government project for next year’s budget, the 1 billion package has been included in the investment programs.

This initiative provides for government guarantees for some of the public investment that will be made by private companies.

But IMF representatives and local experts have expressed some reservations as far as this poiont is concerned. According to them, this will affect the growth of public debt.

SCAN

*Material i përgatitur nga portali SCAN. Ripublikimi mund të bëhet vetëm kundrejt citimit të autorësisë dhe burimit origjinal.