You Will Go Down in History as the Mayor of Price Increases, Council Member Says

During a city council meeting, Hayk Grigoryan, a member of the "National Progress" faction of the Yerevan City Council, inquired about the calculation of the local tax rate for garbage collection set for 2025 and whether the experiences of other cities had been studied.

"The rate for solid waste from residential buildings will be set at 13 drams. Mr. Avinyan, I believe you will go down in history as the mayor of price increases. If I now take a 30 square meter apartment and multiply it by 13, that’s a double price increase for a household with one registered person. Was the goal to fill the budget, or to solve another administrative issue?" Grigoryan stated.

He noted that, according to his information, in other cities, garbage fees are collected based on the entities generating waste—residents—not per square meter.

Davit Hakobyan, the acting head of the income accounting and collection department, responded that even with the current rates, fees for public and industrial buildings are calculated based on the area.