Media Review - November 13, 2018

Two views on the draft budget of Azerbaijan and the probability of a rise in price for chicken are the leading topics of today's media.

The newspaper Azerbaijan writes that the budget of the country is socially oriented. Thanks to the reforms carried out in the last 10 months, socio-economic sustainability has been ensured.

For 15 years, the author writes, the country has traveled the path of rapid development, which no one else did before. Since 2004, the economy has tripled, foreign exchange reserves have increased 28 times, reaching 45 billion dollars. Further, the author provides digital data on the state budget for 2019. Socially directed spending in total in 2019 will amount to 8 billion 265.8 million manat.

The website Musavat.com writes that the probability of a decrease in the price of oil increases the possibility of price increases. The discussed draft state budget for 2019 is commented by Deputy Ali Masimli, who claims that the budget has been drawn up in accordance with reforms in the economic field.

The budget package includes some proposals of a reformist nature from the Ministry of Taxes, the Customs Committee and the Ministry of Finance. This is the extension of tax breaks for another 5 years to producers of agricultural products, measures to introduce non-cash payments and to prevent transfers from the State Oil Fund.

The website Bakipost believes the price of chicken could rise in the country. The Cabinet of Ministers, by a decision of November 8 of this year, extended the term of the state duties charged for importing chicken meat to December 15, 2019. If this decision had not been extended, a duty in the amount of 15% of its customs value would have been applied to chicken meat.

The reasons for this decision are commented by the expert Vugar Bayramov, who provides a detailed analysis of prices. The expert believes that in the country the production of chicken meat exceeds the needs. Therefore, with such customs duties, the government reduces the importation of cheap chicken into the country.