Rising Excise Tax Will Worsen Poverty, Says Baghratyan

The foundation for the tax code development should be the implementation of the government's program. This viewpoint was expressed by Sergey Baghratyan, a member of the National Assembly from the 'Prosperous Armenia' faction, during parliamentary hearings on proposed changes to the tax code today.

In this context, he noted that the government program extends until 2023, while the suggested amendments to the tax code cover the macroeconomic environment up to 2033.

“There are almost no numerical indicators in the government’s established program, or there might be an optimistic perception within the government that they can achieve a new vision for the government in ten years,” he said.

The lawmaker pointed out that the government program targets fighting poverty. However, he believes that the increase in the excise tax contradicts this idea.

“With the increase of the excise tax, it is impossible for product prices not to rise. And it is clear that when product prices go up, purchasing power decreases, and citizens become poorer,” emphasized Sergey Baghratyan.