"HERITAGE" CALLS FOR TAX EVASION
V. Aharonyan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily Newspaper
23 Aug 2007
Armenia
It came clear recently that one of the propaganda groups of Raffi
Hovhannisyan’s "Heritage" party that campaigns in constituency 15
for an MP mandate, headed by the parliamentary faction member Anahit
Bakhshyan came out with a rather "interesting" appeal in Arax community
of Armavir province. This is what village governor Ruben Karapetyan
told us.
"Our community is in constituency 15, naturally all the nominated
candidates must hold campaign also in village Arax.
Last Saturday, on August 18 some representatives of "Heritage" party
were holding their pre-election campaign. They were moving around
the village with one Jeep and two Mercedes, under Anahit Bakhshyan’s
leadership and speaking with the village people. I haven’t interfered
in this process, up to the moment when the people from my community
informed me that those propagators told them that the land tax is
compensated from the state budget and that the community leaders and
the village governors cheat the villagers and extort money.
This can’t be considered a pre-election campaign. I am a village
governor I never interfere in political issues but when somebody
makes encroachment upon the state I can’t be silent.
I responded the alarm and found out that Anahit Bakhshyan has
personally called the villager for tax evasion declaring that
the village governors and community leaders cheat and exploit the
villagers. She has also passed on apparently false information saying
that property and land taxes are compensated from the state budget. She
has even introduced quotations from certain laws and used expressions
humiliating the village governors.
The communities are part of the state structure; local
self-governmental bodies, the budget of which comes from the local
taxes in a manner envisaged by the law. In fact such games and
announcement are not only against the village governors but also
against the state and can seriously damage the local self-governmental
system that is on the way of accomplishment. Are these people against
having diligent taxpayers in our country? Isn’t it enough to pin our
hopes upon the foreign money?"
"Mr. Karapetyan what measures have you taken?"
"In the framework of pre-election campaign I’m ready for any type
of criticism and condemnation, but criticism should also pursue a
sensible object. I have only protected my rights; I have prevented
them from spoiling my reputation and in their presence I have assured
my community members that "Heritage" propagators were cheating
them. It was aimed at revealing the falsehood. Maybe these people
think that it is easy to deceive the villagers because they are not
well informed. But even though because of the lack of information
the villagers are vulnerable we shouldn’t speculate on this fact.
I can definitely state that at least in our community "Heritage"
lost its rating. Later I was informed from the members of "Heritage"
party that Raffi Hovhannisyan was upset about Anahit Bakhshyan’s
anti-state propaganda. However, next day, no one attended the meeting
with Raffi Hovhannisyan."
"Was it only in Arax community that they made those anti-state
propaganda?"
"Usually one propaganda group attends one community and prepares
ground for Raffi Hovhannisyan’s visit to that community. Later he
comes, shakes hands with the villagers, chats about different topics,
and goes back. After what happened in our community I talked with
the village governors of the neighbor villages. They said the same
thing happened in their village but they avoided any clarifications.
But I couldn’t tolerate it. Later I found out that, to confirm her
lie, Anahit Bakhshyan has introduced a list of those living on dole
stating that the prices written in front of the names are the state
compensations of the land taxes, whereas our community of 1200 people
has a debt of 100 million drams for land and property tax. Is Anahit
Bakhshyan going to cover those debts? After my indignation some members
of their propaganda group admitted that Anahit Bakhshyan made wrong
announcements and appeals.