Who is ensuring the state's "additional" revenues? "Fact"

The newspaper "Fact" writes: "Economists often point out that it has become a 'tradition' for the government to underperform capital expenditures, and in some cases, to not fulfill them at all. In just the first half of this year, the underperformance amounted to about 41 percent. Several experts in the field have repeatedly stated in our conversations that this is simply disgraceful, much like the continual increase in public debt. This is especially concerning as, as they say, there is money in the budget, and a significant rise in tax revenues has been recorded.

The fact is that in the first half of 2022, the taxes paid by 1,000 taxpayers amounted to 722.32 billion drams, which is 137.88 billion drams or about 24 percent more than the same period in 2021. This is a telling number in itself. However, it is equally noteworthy that more than half of the said 'additional' revenues actually originated from the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine's 'contribution.' This organization paid 104.78 billion drams to the state budget in the first half of the year, which is about 78 billion drams (approximately 291 percent) more than the comparable figure from the previous year.

Incidentally, it is worth noting that the ZCMC was second in the list of 1,000 taxpayers in the first half of last year, trailing behind 'Gazprom Armenia,' while in the first quarter of 2022, it topped that list. The unprecedented growth in tax revenues from the combine has been explained by an increase in work efficiency.

The next company that recorded a significant percentage increase is 'Grand Tobacco' with almost 55 percent. The Agarak Copper Molybdenum Combine contributed 37.44 percent more to the budget, 'Philip Morris Armenia' increased by 25.72 percent, while 'Gazprom Armenia' in second place grew by 16.22 percent."

For more details, see today's edition of the newspaper.