Would income declarations work?

Yerkir/arm
3 June 05

Though the draft law making it mandatory to file personal property and
income declarations has been adopted by the National Assembly in the
first reading, it is not yet a law.

The bill, included in the NA’s spring agenda, also envisages
amendments to the Criminal Code, according to which, persons not
filing declarations or deliberately misrepresenting data, would be
subjected to fines up to 600,000 drams (approx. $1,300) or a prison
time up to one year: under the current Criminal Code the maximum
prison time is 2 months.

However, the government was forced to take back the bill under the
pressure of businessmen represented in the NA. The government is not
likely to give up but are people ready to reveal their property and
income?

Under the law, property and/or annual income in excess of 3 million
drams (approx. $6,700) should be declared. People believe that
enacting such a law especially in the part of property makes no sense.
Most people are outraged by the methods of assessing the property tax,
and this is especially true for those who have extremely low incomes
but live in the central part of Yerevan, and, willingly or
unwillingly, owning expensive apartments and have to pay high property
taxes.

Besides, it seems that using the experience of the western countries
in regard with property/income declarations is unrealistic in Armenia.