The election bloc Rightist Opposition – Industrialists-New Rights, which unites two opposition parties the New Rights and the Industry will Save Georgia, advocates liberalization of taxes, protection of business and Georgia’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.
Both, the New Rights and Industrialists parties enjoy with huge finances, however their popularity significantly decreased after distancing themselves from the November bloodless revolution. Both criticized the revolution leaders and now are in the opposition to the current authorities.
The New Rights is led by one of the leading Georgian businessmen David Gamkrelidze, longtime head and founder of Aldagi, an insurance company that grew to be one of Georgia’s biggest businesses. The Industrialists party is led by the Georgian beer magnate Gogi Topadze and other older-generation businessmen. Gogi Topadze is a founder of the Kazbegi Company.
The two parties formed election bloc just before the March 28 parliamentary elections and adopted an action plan, which outlines priorities of the bloc. Actually it is a compilation of mainly similar platforms of the New Rights and Industrialists parties.
A five-page plan of action focuses on constitutional reforms, adoption of new tax system, human rights, foreign policy priorities and security and military issues.
“We supported recently adopted constitutional changes, which boosts the President’s power because we know that this constitution is transitional. The new Parliament should focus on drafting of the new constitutional amendments, which would secure real democratic values in Georgia,” Davit Gamkrelidze, one of the leaders of the bloc says.
The Rightists Opposition – Industrialists-New Rights also push the issue of local self-governance and vow that they would lobby adoption of the law, which will secure election of provincial governors.
The bloc emphasizes on necessity to protect business, especially after the new leadership took over the power in the country. “Revision of the privatization and misappropriation of property, which is very often lobbied by the representatives of the new government, is inadmissible,” the action plan of the Rightists Opposition reads.
“I think that the private property must be a supreme and inviolable right,” Davit Gamkrelidze told Civil Georgia.
The Industry will Save Georgia has been pushing the issue of liberalization of taxes for a long time. The Parliament has already adopted draft of new tax code, proposed by the Industrialist, but only with first hearing. Thus, the Rightist Opposition seeks for final adoption of the proposal, which envisages cutting of number of 18 different taxes to 4.
“But only a fight against corruption will not bring us results, unless an entrepreneur is given incentive not to use double accounting and pay all the taxes. This [development of incentives] will not happen unless we liberalize the taxation. By liberalization I mean simplification of procedures for starting up a business, as well as tax reduction and simplification of the Tax Code,” Davit Gamkrelidze says.
The Rightists Opposition also proposes creation of “the common trade area in South Caucasian region.”
The bloc also supports reduction of the number of troops in the armed forces and transformation on NATO standards.
The Rightist Opposition claims that implementation of the economic projects with the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be more efficient in regard of restoration of country’s territorial integrity.