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The NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs debated in the second reading the legislative package proposing amendments and addenda to the law on Audit Chamber, the Code on Administrative Offences and related laws.

In the main report, the co-author of the package Arusyak Manavazyan presented the proposals existing after the first reading. In the Audit Chamber the service is introduced as a new kind of state service, the latter’s transition legal structures are defined. An opportunity will be given to include in the audit the auditors being a member of the international group and of international recognition besides the civil service from the private sector. An appropriate salary is designed for those positions, regulating the co-relations necessary for the realization of the mechanism being proposed a remuneration. It will be defined that the function of the checking of the legal persons of the Audit Chamber does not spread on the tax privileges established for the indefinite number of addressees by the RA law. It will be defined by the next proposal that the Audit Chamber not by the order established by the Audit Chamber, but also by the law on RA Budgetary System every year will be and will submit to the Government its financing bid of the coming year (the draft cost estimate).

According to the key rapporteur, the initiative will raise the efficiency of the public finance management and the quality of the information presented to the National Assembly.

The Committee Chair Tsovinar Vardanyan noted that the capacities and the powers of the Audit Chamber will be established, which also will strengthen the possibility of carrying out the oversight functions of the NA deputies towards the Government. According to her, the Head of the Group implementing the audit will be accountable for presenting conclusion, also on the information and analysis being submitted by its group members. Tsovinar Vardanyan added that all the state bodies will be submitted to the audit with the same conditions, there cannot be a separated condition, for example, for the Central Bank or the Ministry of Health.

The issue was endorsed by the Committee.