I never inquired about it, because I was afraid that I might respond with something I would later regret. However, I speculate that in their case it was because

I never inquired about it, because I was afraid that I might respond with something I would later regret. However, I speculate that in their case it was because they must have spent way too much money initially, when they first opened up their offices in my country. I don't know whether the salaries they offered initially were a part of aggressive hiring plan or just a result of someone's incompetence in HR; given the usual level of competence in their HR, it would be really hard to tell which of those two it was. However, the job was really good in all other respects.