Tax on Electricity Increases

The Resonance; The Dilis Gazeti

Today’s press protests increased tariff on power. AES-TELASI, the American-Georgian joint enterprise and the sole distributor of electricity throughout Tbilisi, made threat about leaving the country. “Somehow the investor company got to receive what it dreamed of throughout the year – increased tax on electricity”, the Resonance says. From November 1 Tbilisi inhabitants will have to pay 11.9 tetri (US 5.9 cents) plus monthly payment of 2 GEL instead of 9.8 tetri as it is now. On the other hand, taxes on electricity decreased in other regions of Georgia. Tariff of 8,5 tetri was decreased to 8,1 tetri in Adjara Autonomous Republic, and tariff of 8,4 was decreased to 8 tetri in all the rest of the regions of the country.

“It seems government authorities cannot notice the poverty and difficult conditions of life of common people and support all whims of the AES-TELASI”, the Resonance says. It is hard for the paper to imagine how the population can pay the tax having no actual source of income.

“AES-TELASI was given such priorities, which are never given to anyone… The company had faith in the government and the intuition did not full it”, the Dilis Gazeti says. It blames the Georgian government in the grown tax. “Georgia is the only state where the power distributor is paid four times more than the actual price of the product… for they know nothing about law, economy and financial abilities of its own people”, the paper states.