"Fact" daily writes:
The year started with too much internal tension, and the issue is not only that Pashinyan's government is making drastic foreign policy moves.
So sharp, by the way, that it gives the impression of an undisguised adventure, which, of course, increases the tension.
Let's describe the situation without exaggerations: The price of public transport in Yerevan was supposed to increase 3 times from January 1. That disgraceful price increase was postponed for a month.
But firstly, February 1 is not behind the mountains, secondly, even without price increases, the ticket payment system is in a disgraceful state, the devices "swallow" people's ticket money, the period of issued "papers" is pointlessly short and so on.
It aggravates the already nervous condition. Taxes. the fact that the amount of property tax is increasing every year, and this year it will double, is already bad.
The fact that the tax burden on lawyers, and soon also on accounting firms, is also bad, means that at least the "middle class" will pay a lot more to use these services.
That's bad, too. But the drastic increase in the sales tax rate, with the "announcement" of replacing it with a 20 percent VAT altogether, is not bad, it's just embarrassingly bad.
The owners of small and medium-sized shops, stalls, fruit and vegetable stalls, bakeries and shops say that either they will close the shop (stall) after a month and give the keys to Pashinyan, or they will increase the price of what is not there, as they have already raised the price in supermarkets. It is obvious that Pashinyan and his government managed to generate serious dissatisfaction.
The situation is very similar to the well-known definition. "The upper ones can't, the lower ones don't want to." In our case, it's obvious that the upper ones can't.
Moreover, they are not only unable, but also unwilling. Moreover, the "tops" openly mock the "bottoms".
And the "lowers", who have long since mostly understood who and what they are dealing with, are accumulating dissatisfaction for now.
The key question in this situation is one. when, where and how will that discontent explode?
