Thursday, April 18 2013

Until local referendum institute is not directly used
in Armenia, local government will not be fully fulfilled, a member of the
parliament from ARFD, Artsvik Minasyan, said during today's discussion of the
problems of the Yerevan budget management. Representatives of the parties which
will run for the Yerevan Council of Elders election took part in the event.

 

He thinks that nothing will change if only the
Republican Party of Armenia goes on managing the country as well as Yerevan
like a monopolist.

 

He said that the present annual budget of Yerevan 80
bln drams ($192 mln) may be increased up to 400 bln drams for the next 4 years.
He thinks that it is necessary to weaken financial dependence on the
government, as if in Yerevan budget 2013 only 33 bln drams (40% out of total
revenues) are the revenues of the mayor's office, and 47 bln drams (60% out of
total revenues) - are the state budgetary appropriation, in future it will be
possible to increase the share of Yerevan revenues up to 75%. He also added
that it is necessary to direct a part of the profit tax and income tax taken by
the state from the cost created in Yerevan in the local government budget. The
attraction of the Yerevan community to the business-activity like a shareholder
as well as a participant in the agreements with a right of having a profit, may
become another source of revenues.

 

Minasyan offered the opposition forces, which are
within the Council of elders, to have a right to control Yerevan budget
fulfillment. This will promote raising of effectiveness of the Yerevan budget
management.

 

For his part, vice-mayor of Yerevan, the RPA member,
Vache Nikoyan, said that the mayor's office provides maximally possible inflow
of revenues, and uses the machinery to ensure transparency of control over the
budgetary revenues and expenditure.