SARKISIAN PROMISES REPRIEVE FOR PROTESTING CAB DRIVERS
By Hovannes Shoghikian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
July 30 2007
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian promised on Monday that his government
will postpone the enforcement of stricter licensing requirements that
could force hundreds of Armenian taxi drivers out of business.
Meeting several dozen drivers who again gathered outside his office,
Sarkisian said the rules, effective from August 1, were approved by
the Armenian government last March too hastily.
"The decision affects the livelihood of thousands of people and we
must give them more time [to comply with it,]" he told the protesters
surrounding him.
Under the new rules, taxi companies and independent cab drivers to
pay an annual state duty of 200,000 drams ($590) for each of their
cars. More importantly, they would be banned from using vehicles
manufactured more than 10 years ago. Virtually all of the drivers
that twice demonstrated outside the government headquarters in Yerevan
last week are self-employed and have older vehicles.
Sarkisian told them that he will make sure the government measure
takes effect on April 1. The government will make a relevant decision
at its next meeting on Thursday, he said.
The promised reprieve will end right after Armenia’s next presidential
election in which Sarkisian is expected to be a top contender.
The Armenian premier made it clear at the same time that there will
be no major changes in the new rules themselves. In particular, he
was adamant in defending the 10-year limit on the age of cabs. "Is
it right to transport people in a 10-year-old Lada?" he asked the
protesting drivers.
"Yes, if a driver properly looks after his personal car," said one
of them.
"Fine, so let him drive his family in his personal car," responded
Sarkisian. "I could have done trickery," he continued. "I could have
set the limit at five years and all of you would have gathered here
and I would have said, ‘OK guys, I raise it to ten years.’ But I
didn’t do trickery. I set the maximum possible limit."
Government officials say the measure will improve passenger safety
and complicate tax evasion. But critics say it will primarily benefit
large carriers that are owned by wealthy business and can afford
buying new cars.