Authorities to Improve Their Businesses Under the Guise of Supporting Border Villages, says Nikol Pashinyan

The draft law giving privileges to entrepreneurs in border villages, which was discussed in the National Assembly yesterday, still has not defined which communities the law will affect.  

MPs have showed discontent regarding the latter issue during discussions in the National Assembly. Heritage party faction member Tevan Poghosyan was interested in how the government could conduct analysis on the communities if they still do not have a list of them.

Finance deputy-minister Vakhtang Mirumyan responded to Poghosyan’s question, saying that the draft law is still unclear about which border villages are to be decided on. According to the deputy-minister, the list may not only include villages suffering from military operations, but also socially vulnerable communities bordering Georgia, Turkey, and Iran.

Tevan Poghosyan stated that the border villages are inhabited mostly by children and people aged 50 and up, and the majority of working aged people are either in Russia or Yerevan or someplace else.

The MP noted that if there is a wish to improve the border villages, then improving the business situation is not the most important action. Moreover, the current draft law does not only have tax privileges for small and medium sized businesses, but also for larger companies.

“Do those elderly go to the barbershop, do they shop at the stores? Now we are freeing them from taxes, except for taxis, which one can register there and drive in Yerevan. Are we doing anything wrong?” said Republican Party MP Vardan Ayvazyan justifying the draft law from the podium.

Armenian National Congress faction MP Nikol Pashinyan noted that they are propagating via Television that the government is going to help the border villages, however, under this patriotic guise, something else is happening in secret.

“Those elderly people have debts in hundreds of thousands (AMD). Give them that money, so they can cover their debts, not for you all to start registering your businesses in tax-free border villages to multiple your millions,” said Nikol Pashinyan.

Earlier, a draft law presented by Pashinyan about support to border villages was rejected in Parliament with 54 abstaining, 40 for, and 3 against.  Recall, that Pashinyan’s bill specifically suggests that;

1. A 50% decreased in electricity, natural gas, drinking and irrigation water fees.

2. Border village residents will be freed from land tax and real estate tax

3. Residents left homeless after Azerbaijani armed attacks will be provided a home with equivalent costs in the same community within 1 month.

4. Citizens injured from Azerbaijani armed attacks will be provided medical treatment paid by the Armenian State Budget.

5. The State budget will provide border village communities help for daily health needs and support young families.