Protest against rise in turnover tax in Yerevan 

ArmInfo. On February 10, a protest by traders protesting against the increase in turnover tax, property tax and income tax returns resumed in front of the  government building.

On February 7, they held a meeting with Babken Tunyan, a member of  the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from the ruling  Civil Contract faction, during which representatives of business  entities demanded that the application of the law be postponed for  six months. However, during that meeting, Tunyan told the protesters  that if this was the only demand, then we can talk about a zero  solution.  Representatives of small and medium businesses, in turn,  noted that they were counting on understanding, but having met the  exact opposite reaction, they announced their intention to intensify  the protests. They stated that if they elected Nikol Pashinyan as  prime minister in 2018 and 2021, they will not do so during the  upcoming elections.

According to one of the participants in the campaign, currently SME  representatives are working only to meet the needs of their families.

Another participant of the protest noted that the law adopted by the  National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia can hardly be called  such. "We insisted not to meet with the deputies to present our  concerns. We insisted on freezing its application, discussing all the  issues related to it, and only then making a decision," the protester  noted, asking why the authorities are starting with SMEs. She pointed  out the impossibility of small and medium businesses documenting all  their operations, since it is necessary to register the costs of  electricity, payments for rented areas, for employees, etc. "Very  well, but let them shift all this onto large businesses that have the  ability to pay qualified accountants and even auditors. Why are you  shifting all this burden onto small traders?" the protester asked.

New tax requirements have come into force in Armenia, according to  which the turnover tax on small and medium businesses has been  increased from 5% to 10%.