Nagornyy Karabakh Republic plans “special economic policy” for Shushi
Azat Artsakh, Stepanakert
20 Aug 05
Text of unattributed report by Nagornyy Karabakh newspaper Azat
Artsakh on 20 August headlined “New economic policy for Shushi. The
town must become a safe zone for investments”
[Karabakh] Prime Minister Anushavan Daniyelyan held a meeting in his
office on 17 August to discuss a special economic policy for Shushi,
as well as issues of dividing customs responsibilities between the
Republic of Armenia and the NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh republic].
Touching upon the reconstruction of Shushi, Daniyelyan said that all
the funds raised during the 2006 all-Armenian telethon would be used
solely for the town’s “prosperity”. But before that, he said, the
government plans to implement a long-term programme of tax reform in
order to present Shushi on the eve of the telethon as a safe zone for
investment. The programme envisages a special taxation policy that
will exempt all investors from all taxes.
“The priority task for Shushi today is not just its reconstruction,
but also the creation of a great number of jobs that can be secured by
large investments,” Daniyelyan said.
At the same time, attaching great importance to the task of overcoming
slow industrial development in the republic, he said it was necessary
to exempt some employers from taxes in various spheres such as the
tourism, high-tech, pharmaceutical, medical equipment and carpet
industries.
Talking about the need to solve some issues of transferring customs
duties from the NKR to the Republic of Armenia, Daniyelyan said it was
important to sign a relevant contract between the two governments. He
said that the contract should cover such issues as the role of state
intervention, humanitarian aid, customs fees, etc.