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KAJARAN'S 2015 MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES: COGNAC FOR NEWLYWEDS, FLOWERS FOR THE DECEASED
Grisha Balasanyan
14:08, December 24, 2014
Municipalities, large and small, throughout Armenia spend money for
garbage collection, road repair, to pay teachers, and a host of other
services that they should be providing local tax payers. Some can
afford to do more, while others just scrape by.
The press in Armenia has often written about the misappropriation
of taxpayer funds and how various state agencies, especially at the
local level, seem to have a penchant for lavish spending of scare
resources on items that can be listed as non-essential.
Recently, I came across the following miscellaneous expenditures that
the Kajaran town municipality (Syunik Province) is planning for 2015.
The office plans to purchase 120 New Year's greeting cards at 1,000
AMD per card. That's US$2.18 a card at today's exchange rate (100 AMD=
22cents). 36 pens will be purchased at $2.62 each. 70 flower bouquets,
used for weddings and funerals, are to be purchased at $32.71 apiece.
Item
Amount
Price Per/AMD
Total Price/AMD
Quantity
Pen
1
1,200
43.200
36
New Year's Greeting Card
1
1000
120.000
120
Flower Wreath
1
15,000
1.050.000
70
Cognac
1 Bottle
5,500
110.000
20
Mioneral Water
1 Bottle
150
81.000
540
Fizzy Water
1 Bottle
250
270.000
1080
Chocolate
1 Kilogram
5,500
148.500
27
Box of Chocolate
One Box
3,800
98.800
26
Candy
1 Kilogram
1,800
32.400
18
Not shown on the above list are tangerines, a staple on any Armenian
holiday table along with oranges. Good tangerines average between
400-500 drams in the market but the Kajaran municipality wants to
buy 8 kilos at 950 drams per.
Item
Amount
Price Per/AMD
Total Price/AMD
Quantity
Flower Vase
1
9,000
90,000
10
Fruit Bowl
1
7,000
70,000
10
Saucepan
1
10,000
50,000
5
Cutlery
1 Set
13,000
65,000
5
Juice Glasses
1 Set
7,000
70,000
10
Plates
1 Set
7,000
70,000
10
Coffee Cups
1 Set
6,000
60,000
10
Tea Cups
1 Set
5,000
50,000
10
Teapot
1
7,500
75,000
10
Towels
1 Set
10,000
200,000
20
"Someone in the town dies, so we send a flower arrangement. The cognac
and fruit are for other events like weddings. Then there are all
the holidays. A bottle has to be uncorked at each," was how Vazgen
Azaryan, who heads the Kajaran Municipality's Division of Finances,
explained it all to Hetq.
The towels and cutlery, according to Azaryan, are gifted to newlyweds
and those recognized as the year's best teachers.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/57924/kajarans-2015-miscellaneous-expenses-cognac-for-newlyweds-flowers-for-the-deceased.html
From: A. Papazian
Grisha Balasanyan
14:08, December 24, 2014
Municipalities, large and small, throughout Armenia spend money for
garbage collection, road repair, to pay teachers, and a host of other
services that they should be providing local tax payers. Some can
afford to do more, while others just scrape by.
The press in Armenia has often written about the misappropriation
of taxpayer funds and how various state agencies, especially at the
local level, seem to have a penchant for lavish spending of scare
resources on items that can be listed as non-essential.
Recently, I came across the following miscellaneous expenditures that
the Kajaran town municipality (Syunik Province) is planning for 2015.
The office plans to purchase 120 New Year's greeting cards at 1,000
AMD per card. That's US$2.18 a card at today's exchange rate (100 AMD=
22cents). 36 pens will be purchased at $2.62 each. 70 flower bouquets,
used for weddings and funerals, are to be purchased at $32.71 apiece.
Item
Amount
Price Per/AMD
Total Price/AMD
Quantity
Pen
1
1,200
43.200
36
New Year's Greeting Card
1
1000
120.000
120
Flower Wreath
1
15,000
1.050.000
70
Cognac
1 Bottle
5,500
110.000
20
Mioneral Water
1 Bottle
150
81.000
540
Fizzy Water
1 Bottle
250
270.000
1080
Chocolate
1 Kilogram
5,500
148.500
27
Box of Chocolate
One Box
3,800
98.800
26
Candy
1 Kilogram
1,800
32.400
18
Not shown on the above list are tangerines, a staple on any Armenian
holiday table along with oranges. Good tangerines average between
400-500 drams in the market but the Kajaran municipality wants to
buy 8 kilos at 950 drams per.
Item
Amount
Price Per/AMD
Total Price/AMD
Quantity
Flower Vase
1
9,000
90,000
10
Fruit Bowl
1
7,000
70,000
10
Saucepan
1
10,000
50,000
5
Cutlery
1 Set
13,000
65,000
5
Juice Glasses
1 Set
7,000
70,000
10
Plates
1 Set
7,000
70,000
10
Coffee Cups
1 Set
6,000
60,000
10
Tea Cups
1 Set
5,000
50,000
10
Teapot
1
7,500
75,000
10
Towels
1 Set
10,000
200,000
20
"Someone in the town dies, so we send a flower arrangement. The cognac
and fruit are for other events like weddings. Then there are all
the holidays. A bottle has to be uncorked at each," was how Vazgen
Azaryan, who heads the Kajaran Municipality's Division of Finances,
explained it all to Hetq.
The towels and cutlery, according to Azaryan, are gifted to newlyweds
and those recognized as the year's best teachers.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/57924/kajarans-2015-miscellaneous-expenses-cognac-for-newlyweds-flowers-for-the-deceased.html
From: A. Papazian