Sixty million Iranians live under the line of poverty due to the regime’s systematic lack of supervision over the economy, an Iranian economist said. Speaking to Tabnak, a website affiliated with the regime, Ibrahim Razaghi said “the most important threat to Iran was extreme poverty, widespread unemployment, the inability of many people to pay their rent, and that the rich were getting richer.”
“There are currently 30 million unemployed people and 60 million people live below the poverty line,” he said adding that the economic situation was “very bad.”
The economist said the reason behind the sharp increase in prices was the “government’s lack of supervision over the economy” and that the regime had “practically abandoned the economy”.
Razaghi cited daily price fluctuations and said that the increase in the price of basic goods such as eggs and butter was “illogical”.
“The government’s role in controlling prices is not clear,” he added.
Reports from Iran indicate that improvised Iranians can no longer afford eggs and butter has been rationed.
The Iranian economist said the government was facilitating the import of goods by “some people” without any supervision, leading to the increase of basic goods.
“Why hasn’t the Central Bank not interfered with this issue?” he said adding that the government’s actions showed that it was intentionally raising prices.
Iran’s poverty line is 10 million tomans while workers make 2 million tomans
According to the Secretary General of the Supreme Center of Workers’ Unions, Iran’s line of poverty is 10 million tomans and workers make a little over 2 million tomans.
“The government must do something for workers,” Hadi Abavi said today.
Government hiding 60% inflation rate
In another report, an Iranian researcher and economist said that under the influence of the government, Iran’s Center for Statistics was hiding the country’s real inflation rate.
Speaking to the state-run ILNA News Agency yesterday, Ehsan Soltani said that the actual inflation rate was 60%, a far cry from the officially announced 30%.
He said that the inflation rate would increase in the second half of the (Persian) year to more than 60 or 70%.
