BOTH ADVANTAGES AND DRAWBACKS WERE POINTED OUT
Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
16 April 05
Nevertheless, summing up the work of the City Hall in the first quarter
of the year, the mayor of Stepanakert Edward Aghabekian evaluated it as
positive During the press conference on April 12 the mayor presented
the work of the City Hall. He promised to remain faithful to the
tradition and publish the work done and to do not forgetting about the
drawbacks. During the press conference Edward Aghabekian dwelled upon
a series of important problems. COMMUNITY BUDGET According to him,
there was a decline in the community budget revenues from disposal
of inventory. In the first quarter of the past year the revenues of
the community budget from disposal of inventory totaled 3 million
drams; this year the revenues decreased by 50 per cent. Nevertheless,
according to the mayor, this is not a low rate and does not impact
the community budget receipts. According to Mr. Aghabekian, those
spheres where disposal of inventory results in improvement of work
efficiency should absolutely be privatized. In reference to the
community budget adoption and execution Edward Aghabekian informed
that the growth of community owned receipts is estimated by 23.4 per
cent against 2004, which will total 27.2 million drams on a yearly
basis. The mayor of Stepanakert noticed that this volume of growth
is estimated for the first time in the last 3-4 years. As to the
results of the last quarter, there was a 6.2 per cent growth in the
community-owned receipts. At the same time he said that three months
is not a long period to make far-reaching estimations but it is enough
to make estimations of certain things. TAX REVENUES One of the major
problems is that the institution of cadastre is not fully formed.
According to the mayor, if in 2004 the tax service collected 605
thousand drams from natural persons, this year more than 3 million
drams of tax revenues is estimated. He added that this year the tax
on property was not heavy for anyone. As to the public taxes, in the
first quarter of 2004 public tax collection totaled 4.3 million drams,
whereas in the same period of the current year collected public taxes
totaled 2.9 million. In the same period the payments of land rental
was 1.312 million drams against 340 thousand in the first quarter
of the past year. DECISIONS In the past three months the City Hall
adopted 14 decisions. He singled out the decision that every year
since 2005 at 12 o’clock on April 24 two minutes of silence will be
kept in the community in the memory of the victims of genocide in
1915. The mayor of Stepanakert also mentioned that as distinct from
other spheres funding of cultural events was funded by 100 per cent.
CHRISTINE MNATSAKANIAN. 16-04-2005