MOSCOW. Feb 7 (Interfax) - Federal Anti-Monopoly Service Director Igor Artemyev believes the number of officials should be reduced and state interference in the economy should be minimized by privatizing state-run companies, including natural monopolies. "There is an easy solution to which society may agree: we can fire half of the officials and those who stay will get a 100% raise," Artemyev said in an interview published in the Tuesday edition of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Elementary calculation shows that today's Russia has more officials than all the republics of the Soviet Union together, Artemyev said.
"The problem is that some officials have long been supported by businessmen. These people are not fulfilling their direct functions, but are serving businesses. They can be fired," he said.
The salaries of public officials should be comparable to salaries of "teachers, doctors, and those who protect us: law enforcement officials and the military," he said.
Artemyev said he is convinced that the main problem is not so much the amount of wages, but the big differences between them. "Regional officials get 2-3 times more than their federal colleagues," he said.
Artemyev spoke in favor of reducing state involvement in the economy, proposing to privatize the assets acquired by the state in the crisis now. Despite the talks about the bad market situation, "it was even worse in the crisis and therefore assets were acquired cheaply" and it would be reasonable "to give them away at the same price now."
"The state will not lose anything. Large-scale privatization should be conducted now. It should involve natural monopolies as well," Artemyev said.
Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia News - Russia
MOSCOW. Feb 7 (Interfax) - Federal Anti-Monopoly Service Director Igor Artemyev believes the number of officials should be reduced and state interference in the economy should be minimized by privatizing state-run companies, including natural monopolies.
"There is an easy solution to which society may agree: we can fire half of the officials and those who stay will get a 100% raise," Artemyev said in an interview published in the Tuesday edition of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Elementary calculation shows that today's Russia has more officials than all the republics of the Soviet Union together, Artemyev said.
"The problem is that some officials have long been supported by businessmen. These people are not fulfilling their direct functions, but are serving businesses. They can be fired," he said.
The salaries of public officials should be comparable to salaries of "teachers, doctors, and those who protect us: law enforcement officials and the military," he said.
Artemyev said he is convinced that the main problem is not so much the amount of wages, but the big differences between them. "Regional officials get 2-3 times more than their federal colleagues," he said.
Artemyev spoke in favor of reducing state involvement in the economy, proposing to privatize the assets acquired by the state in the crisis now. Despite the talks about the bad market situation, "it was even worse in the crisis and therefore assets were acquired cheaply" and it would be reasonable "to give them away at the same price now."
"The state will not lose anything. Large-scale privatization should be conducted now. It should involve natural monopolies as well," Artemyev said.