"Past" newspaper writes: One can only be amazed at the zeal with which the ruling party consistently and continuously delves into the pockets of the "proud citizens."
Look: prices keep rising and rising. Taxes, duties, fines, penalties have increased, and their "variety" has also expanded. The list is long. Now it's the turn of passports: from November 1, obtaining biometric documents will cost a total of 34,600 drams: 28,650 drams for a biometric passport, 5,950 for an ID card. To make the picture completely clear, we remind that previously the state fee for a "regular" passport was only 1,000 drams, and 3,000 drams for an ID card. Meaning, now we will pay almost 8.5 times more. So what is this if not yet another instance of digging into the citizen's pocket?
Some countries apply systems with two passports or identification cards (mandatory) and international passports (optional or as needed). That is, if a person does not wish or cannot leave the country, they may have a "regular passport" or be satisfied with just an ID card, which within the country fully replaces the passport (meaning the ID card becomes mandatory). Others—fine, let them pay and receive their biometric passports; we understand that in no country are they free.
Now it turns out that, for example, when a child turns 16, parents mechanically have to pay 34,600 drams for their passportization. The same applies to all those whose passport expires and who either cannot or do not wish to have a biometric passport (for the above reasons). It's true that the Ministry of Internal Affairs says there will be privileges or discounts for certain groups, but that is not a global solution to the issue, and people's pockets continue to be emptied...
Details in today's issue of the "Past" newspaper
