ArmInfo. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan does not rule out that the revaluation of the dram (national currency) may be long-term, as well as gas and electricity tariffs may be reduced.
He stated this on June 15 during the government hour in the National Assembly of the Republic, answering the question of Babken Tunyan, MP from the ruling "Civil Contract" faction. The MP, in particular, inquired about the possibilities of changing tariff rates for gas and electricity, taking into account the revaluation of the dram. He recalled that since the beginning of this year, the national currency has risen in price by 12% against the US dollar, and by 20% compared to last year.
In response, Grigoryan noted that when calculating tariffs for electricity and gas, the Public Services Regulatory Commission includes the issue of exchange rates. <The problem is how discrete and long-term this situation is from a fundamental point of view. It is possible that the process of the revaluation of the dram will be of a long-term nature, which has already exceeded the exchange rate of the dram against the US dollar planned by the state budget of the country for the current year>, the Deputy Prime Minister said, expressing confidence that the PSRC will return to considering this issue. He stressed that it is necessary to find out how permanent this situation is.
The tariff for electricity in Armenia, from February 1, 2022was increased by an average of 4.7 drams, and the same amount for gas - from April 1. There are different tariff rates for different population groups. When calculating tariff rates, fluctuations in exchange rates are also taken into account.
