National Assembly passes controversial bill on taxing 'guest workers' (video)
With a vote of 65-16 and 21 abstentions, the National Assembly today passed in its first reading the bill on introducing amendments to the Armenian Laws on Income Tax and Profit Tax. Only the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) voted in favour of the bill. The Armenian National Congress (HAK), Country of Law (OEK) and Heritage voted against the bill while the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun and Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) abstained from voting. Under the bill, people going to work abroad should sign an agreement with a construction company operating in Armenia and pay 13 percent income tax to the state budget. BHK lawmaker Mikael Melkumyan urged his colleagues to make changes in the bill before its second reading. “This is an affront to the National Assembly. You cannot submit on the last day a bill that we cannot debate over. And if we have dignity, we shall h “Do not speak about dignity,” said NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan. ARF-D lawmaker Artsvik Minasyan said the bill was misinterpreted in the press and by a number of MPs. “The bill should be given its second reading. We should try to revise and complete it. Do not reject it abruptly,” he said. Head of the heritage faction Rubik Hakobyan said they were witnessing ‘repetition of a sad precedent.’ “Bills are submitted to the National ASsembly without going through the stages of the legislative process. Our negative attitude is quite normal. We cannot work in this way. You know that we are dealing with a serious bill. We are going to vote against the draft,» he said. After listening to the opinions of opposition lawmakers, HHK MP Vardan Ayvazyan said, “Let the person who has dignity speak about dignity. I am sorry for you. An international treaty is always beyond our legislation. go and read the regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, particularly the part concerning double taxation. We are simply giving our residents a choice to pay taxes either in Armenia or in some other country.” “We are going to vote in favour of the bill. Do not try to disrupt voting because of your ambitions,” said the head of the HHK faction Vahram Baghdasaryan.
