Video: Badassian on the Import of Vehicles with Georgian License Plates

If you and I want to bring a car and drive it in Armenia, we have to import it, clear customs, and drive it. Now, why should we spend money on customs clearance, submit declarations, and pay all taxes and fees, while with this mechanism, some people don't pay? This was stated today, September 7, by the Chairman of the State Revenue Committee, Rustam Badassian, addressing the complaints of drivers operating vehicles with Georgian license plates in Armenia.

"The absurdity of the entire discussion is that the Georgian license plate is intended for driving a vehicle in Georgia. In Armenia, you must have an Armenian license plate. Moreover, there are exceptions when a person temporarily comes to Armenia and is allowed to enter with their vehicle and leave. When this mechanism is used to keep the vehicle permanently in Armenia without customs clearance, you find yourself in an unequal situation," said Badassian.

At the same time, he noted that there is a question here: "When the state, in the person of the SRC, does not respond immediately and does not say that this institution is not for that, people also say, 'But how have we been using it for 3 years, and now the SRC says you can no longer?' Therefore, we will listen to our citizens and choose regulations that do not sever these relations immediately. I agree that the SRC holds some responsibility here because it should have reacted quickly to all this. I urge these people to get out of this confounding situation," he remarked, adding, "Whatever decision we make, we will certainly listen to the people and discuss reasonable timelines so that they have time to adapt to the new situation."

It is recalled that earlier, a group of drivers held a peaceful protest in front of the SRC on August 28, demanding the halt of the adoption of the law under discussion. According to the draft, when entering Armenia with vehicles having Georgian license plates, Armenian citizens and dual citizens must pay a deposit amounting to the entire customs clearance costs, which sometimes equals double or more the value of the vehicle. Details can be found in the video.