President Serzh Sarkisian made a case for separating government and business in Armenia on Wednesday, saying that is vital for securing the country’s long-term economic development.
Representatives of Armenia’s leading opposition forces criticized on Friday the government’s draft budget for next year, saying that it calls for a modest rise in social benefits and would not raise public sector salaries at all.
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian unveiled his government’s plans to raise income tax for wealthy Armenians and impose higher duties on expensive cars and alcohol as he presented the draft state budget for next year to parliament on Tuesday.
The Armenian government will primarily target large companies and wealthy citizens in its drive to improve tax collection next year, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian announced on Sunday.
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian insisted through a spokesman on Friday that he did not warn the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) of businessman Gagik Tsarukian against challenging Armenia’s current political leadership.
In a further boost to the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenia is poised to introduce major tax breaks for hundreds of worship sites and other properties belonging to the ancient institution.
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) intends to deepen its dominance of the domestic political scene and it would therefore be wrong to challenge it, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian said on Wednesday.
Tax inspectors have raided nationwide offices of Armenia’s Russian-owned national power distribution company after the State Revenue Committee (SRC) accused it of evading about 2 billion drams ($5.3 million) in taxes.
The head of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC), Gagik Khachatrian, continued to question on Tuesday a more than 13 percent increase in tax revenues envisaged by the Armenian government’s draft budget for next year.
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian made a case for the consolidation of Armenia’s fragmented land holdings on Friday, saying that it would boost the agricultural sector and reduce widespread rural poverty.
Armenia began on Wednesday its second census since independence which is aimed at not only counting the country’s population but also ascertaining its living conditions.
The government will have trouble significantly raising its tax revenues next year unless it finally breaks up domestic “oligopolies” and downsizes the informal sector of the domestic economy, the head of Armenia’s leading business association warned on Monday.
Armenia’s main opposition bloc appears determined to extend its nonstop anti-government demonstrations beyond the originally set limit of one week as the ruling coalition has remained reluctant to resume formal talks amid continuing protests.
A court in Yerevan on Wednesday allowed law-enforcement bodies to keep an opposition activist in jail for two more months as the Armenian authorities showed no signs of bowing to sustained pressure from the country’s leading opposition force.
President Serzh Sarkisian has invited his two predecessors to participate in official ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, it emerged on Friday.
The chairman of the Armenian parliament’s committee on defense and security on Thursday added his voice to mounting concerns about non-combat deaths in the armed forces and said “more radical” defense reforms are need to tackle the problem.
Two more officers were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the latest non-combat death in the Armenian army that sparked a renewed outcry against chronic abuse of military personnel.
Armenia is adequately protected by S-300 air-defense systems but may have even more sophisticated Russian surface-to-air missiles deployed on its territory in the near future, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian said late on Tuesday.
One officer and one soldier were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the latest non-combat death in the Armenian army’s ranks which has sparked a fresh public outcry against chronic abuse of military personnel.
A representative of Armenia’s ruling coalition on Monday urged the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) to resume to its dialogue with the government, saying that it risks ending up on the political sidelines.
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