ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT BLOCKS NEW TAXES
Anush Martirosian

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22.02.2010

After meeting with fierce resistance from lawmakers, the Armenian
government has heavily watered down a controversial bill that would
empower local self-government bodies to set and collect new taxes.

A package of corresponding amendments to three Armenian laws was
submitted to the National Assembly early this month. It envisaged eight
"local taxes" that could be introduced by the elected administrations
of cities, towns and even villages across the country.

In particular, they would be able to determine and levy extra duties
from retail trade, incomplete construction sites and agricultural
land not cultivated by farmers.

Local community budgets have until now been mostly filled with proceeds
from regular land and real estate taxes. Their rates are determined
by the central government and endorsed by the parliament, however.

The proposed amendments were strongly criticized by not only opposition
lawmakers but also members of the parliament’s pro-government majority,
including speaker Hovik Abrahamian. They dismissed government arguments
that the amendments will strengthen local self-governance and said that
a heavier tax burden would hurt the Armenian economy. The criticism
forced the government to withdraw the bill.

A watered-down version of the bill was sent the National Assembly
last week and approved by it in the first reading on Monday. Local
governments will now be allowed to tax only hotels and parking lots
located in their communities.

Abrahamian and other parliament majority leaders spoke out in favor
of the bill, effectively predetermining the outcome of the vote. They
argued that the government made sweeping changes in it.

Still, 20 deputies, most of them representing the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), voted against the measure.

Vahan Hovannisian, the leader of Dashnaktsutyun’s parliamentary
faction, said the fact that the government promptly dropped most of
the tax proposals means that it is "not serious" about the matter. "We
want to see a complete package," he said.