TAX FIGHT: BUSINESS OWNERS VOW TO CONTINUE RESISTANCE AGAINST CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSED LAW
Economy | 10.02.15 | 14:52
By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Small and medium business owners say they will continue fighting
against the enforcement of a controversial sales tax law and will
demand that together with the government solutions be found for the
law that has twice been postponed already.
Small and medium business owners will defend their rights within
the “Confederation of entrepreneurs”, representatives of which told
reporters on Tuesday that they turned to the government with four
suggestions.
“Firstly, the section regarding gold must be separated and discussed
separately. And then, annual sales threshold of the organization
must be raised from 58 billion AMD and be more than 100 billion
AMD. Working with new principles must be a voluntary practice for
business owners,” Norik Sahakyan, the head of Armenian Producers’
Development Center NGO said.
“And lastly, in the adopted version of the law there is a point
that inspectors can at any point realize inspections, this must be
extracted, as it increases corruption risk,” he added.
Sahakyan said that they urged the government to pay visits at
department stores and shops instead of office discussions.
“You must listen to the people, rather than conduct office
discussions. Those who make laws in offices cannot imagine what it
feels like working at a store, on a cold ground floor.”
As a result of pressure the enforcement of sales tax law has twice
been postponed. The second time the government mediated the National
Assembly in the end of this January, after mass protests.
“We tell the PM that we expect help from you, so that we search and
find solutions from the current situation,” Sahakyan said, adding
that more than 700 stores have closed as a result of the tax change.
Tigran Hovhannisyan, head of the Car Importers’ Union was present
at the meeting and said that they are unified and they will win,
“because no matter how much misunderstanding there has been, they
continued the fight for six months and achieved success.”
From: A. Papazian