Epress.am News from Armenia
Gyumri-based Asparez Journalists’ Club has disseminated the complaint-appeal prepared by owners of cars in Shirak marz with Georgian plates. The appeal is directed to RA President Serzh Sargsyan, RA National Assembly Chair Hovik Abrahamyan, head of the RA State Revenue Committee Gagik Khachatryan, Gyumri mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and Shirak marzpet (regional governor) Ashot Giziryan.
“It is unacceptable for us the developed and approved legislative amendments, according to which citizens of the Republic of Armenia can enter Armenia with vehicles with Georgian plates once in a 15-day period, and with which they are forcing us to pay disgracefully high customs fees, which we are not able to,” reads the drivers’ complaint-appeal.
The authors of the letter note that they drive cars with Georgian plates “for the simple reason that our financial situation according to Armenian legislation and amazing rates voluntarily set by RA State Revenue Committee doesn’t allow us to pay customs tariffs.”
The authors go on to say if they had more money, they would buy more expensive cars, or if they knew that the Armenian government was going to approve such “conspirator legislative changes” than they simply wouldn’t have purchased those cars.
“We are sure that the aforementioned amendments to the RA legislation were done without considering the interests of tens of thousands of Armenian families, without calculating the economic, social and demographic consequences of those changes: in the best case, one reason [for making the changes], the fill the budget at any cost; in the worst case, to continue to push Armenians out of Armenia.
“In addition to the aforementioned, these legislative amendments inhibit our compatriots in Javakhq [Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a large Armenian population] from moving freely in Shirak marz [province] and in the Republic of Armenia,” reads the letter.
The letter concludes with the authors asking Armenian authorities to revert to the legislation as it was at the end of 2010. In addition, they ask that instead of the obligation to pay the high monthly customs fee for one-time entrance at the border that drivers pay a monthly fee of 2,000 drams, which will go into the state budget and won’t require drivers to go to the border to pay.