The High Council of Statistics has approved that the Statistical Center of Iran will be the “sole official” entity in charge of gathering information and releasing data on economic indicators, including inflation, GDP growth and unemployment, announced SCI’s Head Adel Azar on Tuesday.
Formerly both the SCI and the Central Bank of Iran released statistical reports on the economy, which in some cases were contradictory.
In a recent meeting, chaired by Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, head of Management and Planning Organization and government’s spokesperson, the council decided to revoke the CBI’s privilege in this regard.
“The council aimed to implement Article 54 of the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2011-16) to maximize efficiency and improve productivity,” Banker news website quoted Azar as saying.
Executive bodies like the CBI are still allowed to prepare statistics for their own activities. However, they are not allowed to publicize their reports, he said, noting that experts from the SCI and CBI are set to hold joint meetings later this year to improve statistical methods.
Despite the new approval, Valiollah Seif, the CBI governor, has told Tasnim News Agency that his bank will continue to release specialized statistics such as inflation and economic growth.
