The recent amendment to Georgia’s tax code, known as the “offshores law,” has sparked significant concern regarding the integrity of Georgia’s financial system. This policy brief examines the implications of this amendment in the context of Georgia’s recent political and regulatory developments, which have raised alarms about the potential risks of money laundering and sanctions evasion.

The average cost of cooking one standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri was 5.83 GEL in May 2024. Continuing the month-on-month downward trend, the price of khachapuri fell by 6.5% compared to April 2024.

In April 2024, Georgian power plants generated 1,085 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 13% decrease in the total generation compared to the previous year (in April 2023, the total generation was 1,249 mln. kWh). The fall in generation on a yearly basis comes from a decrease in generation of hydro, thermal and wind power plants by 12%, 25% and 10%, respectively.

Geostat has published its preliminary estimate of real GDP growth for March 2024, which stands at 8.2%. In addition, the estimated growth for the first quarter of 2024 reached 7.8%.

The ISET Policy Institute has been closely monitoring and assessing the progress of pension reform for years. Respectively, we have reviewed the proposed changes and identified substantial risks for the effective organizational structure of the pension fund and the welfare of over 1.5 million participating citizens.