Edmon Marukyan on New Property Tax Rates

The leader of the "Bright Armenia" party, Edmon Marukyan, posted the following statement: "In recent days, the new property tax rates have been widely discussed and criticized. Our compatriots express their shock over the enormous amounts they will have to pay starting in 2025, which will further increase in 2026. I would like to remind you that back in 2019, when this law was being discussed in the National Assembly, it was only the "Bright Armenia" faction that opposed it.

We were asking: How can one raise property tax when citizens' incomes are not growing? The newly minted officials responded that if a person living in the center has no income, they can sell their house and move to Nor-Nork. In fact, they were proposing to use the law to force citizens to abandon their environment, their family home, and their legacy.

We suggested an alternative: to maintain the current tax rates for inherited property, while only requiring the new owner to pay the higher rates upon sale. With this approach, a pensioner or a citizen receiving a minimum wage who inherits an apartment in the small center would not face the pressure of having to sell their home. At the same time, the obligation to pay the higher property tax would become a personal decision for each buyer.

In 2019, the "Bright Armenia" faction brought this issue to attention, attempting to raise public awareness on the matter, but our efforts were labeled, and many, seeing this, preferred silence, accepting the "rules of the game." Armenia was afflicted with a cult of personality, and our voice was drowned out by calls of 'do not interfere,' 'let them work.' Meanwhile, our efforts aimed at defending the rights of citizens were deliberately discredited. And once again, it is confirmed that we have never pursued the goal of appearing good; we did not fight for political ratings and remained committed to our principles, defending the interests of the people. ";