Draft Law to Simplify Life for Hundreds of Thousands of Drivers in Armenia, Says Tunyan

The National Assembly is discussing the draft law proposed by MPs Babken Tunyan and Narek Zeynalyan, aimed at amending the Tax Code of the Republic of Armenia. According to Babken Tunyan, he and his colleague have presented a draft law that includes a minor amendment to the Tax Code, which will simplify the lives of the hundreds of thousands of our compatriots who drive, particularly concerning the processes of technical inspection and property tax.

Tunyan noted that there is a legal requirement stating that citizens must pay their property tax debts before being allowed to undergo the technical inspection process. “It is clear that these two processes are different. However, at one point, these two functions were interconnected to allow municipalities to fully carry out their collections on property tax. Nevertheless, we believe there is an unfair provision here because, on the one hand, the deadline for paying property tax is December 1, yet when, for instance, a citizen takes their car for inspection, let’s say in January or February, they are forced to pay the full property tax for that year. Therefore, we propose through the law that it is mandatory to pay the previous year’s debt, not the current year, because while municipalities face financial challenges and wish to collect their funds as quickly and efficiently as possible, citizens also need those funds,” explained Tunyan.

He added that the government partners have suggested considering the option of paying not the previous year’s debt, but rather the amount due at that moment, or paying property tax on a monthly basis instead of annually.

“We will also make this amendment during the second reading,” he noted, adding that they are ready to discuss the proposal. Tunyan also mentioned that the law is set to come into effect on January 1, 2025, so that municipalities can plan their budgets for the upcoming year.