Why Have Fines Been Raised Threefold? Is There a Criterion or Is It Dependent on the Weather? Arthur Khachatryan

Our goal is not to fill the budget through fines; it should not be beneficial for the entrepreneur to pay the fine and continue the violation. This was stated by the MP Babken Tunyan of the ruling Civil Contract party during a session of the National Assembly, in response to the comments made by Armenia bloc MP Arthur Khachatryan regarding the reason for tripling fines for damage to public roads and violations of usage regulations.

“When discussing the amounts of fines for various violations, the most important factors for us are that it should not be advantageous for entrepreneurs or citizens to pay the fine and continue engaging in the activity. Therefore, the fine should be deterrent, not a means of filling the state budget with money. That is not our goal at all,” the MP remarked.

According to him, what difference does a fine of 1.5-2 million make if a person can afford to pay that fine and continue the violation? “In some cases, it may be more appropriate to increase the fine not by 10 times, but by 100 times,” the ruling party MP added.

Meanwhile, MP Arthur Khachatryan from the Armenia bloc inquired why fines have been raised threefold, questioning whether there is a criterion or if it is dependent on the weather or mood.