Gagik Makaryan, Chairman of the Union of Employers of Armenia, is not satisfied with the appointment of the new Chairman of the State Revenue Committee (SRC). Note that General Director of “Gazprom Armenia”, Vardan Harutyunyan, is appointed as a Head of the SRC. A few days ago, Gagik Makaryan, in an interview with Aravot.am, has said that the SRC Head should be selected carefully, “It is very important to know who will be the head of SRC because all ministers and the Prime Minister could work well and only the SRC may waste everything.” When appointing Vardan Harutyunyan to this position, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has mentioned, “For I trust him.” In an interview with Aravot.am, Mr. Makaryan, referring to this appointment, mentioned a number of factors, with which the SRC Chairman should be guided.
As presented by Mr. Makaryan, the SRC has 2 roles: one is to collect taxes but when collecting taxes they can behave themselves in a way that it seems that they have no feelings, are not biased and are collecting taxes according to tax obligations, “This is also acceptable because they must not have any feelings: to respect one, to love another, take pity of the other and grant privilege to another. This is a model. This model also contains the other, today’s economic situation allows, in some cases also the government, to wait for the decisions, inform well and then plan the accounts. Or, if they see that they can reach out a hand with their approach, try to do it and help the entrepreneur to stand up firmly because if this entrepreneur disappears, they must regret that one taxpayer became less.
Especially now, this problem has become acute because tax collection has become complicated as the majority of entrepreneurs are unable to pay taxes, the tax rates are reduced because the circulation is reduced.” According to Mr. Makaryan, the SRC should be a platform promptly to respond to the economic situation, “For example, when they see that it is very difficult to collect taxes in Shirak, Lori or other marzes, or, let’s say, they see that the situation in the trade is bad, they must collect this information and convey, for example, to the ministries of economy and finance, report directly to the government, saying that we collect the taxes but it is apparent from the tax collection that the economic situation is as such.
In other words, the government must see that this sector is already “starting”, it should still collecting taxes, but there should be some kind of a policy, perhaps, it should apply a tax privilege, subsidies and so on. It is important for the head of the SRC to follow such conscious. Now, as to who is elected, the person is not important whether it is Tigran, Vardan Harutyunyan, or formerly Hovsepyan. Importantly whether the RA President and the Prime Minister, who have appointed, have taken my words into account.”
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As Mr. Makaryan said, his presented factors are added by the 3rd – subjective factor, the moral character of the head of the SRC, “Whether he has business or not, whether there is a feature of paying off old scores in his character, whether he has a special attitude to those who inspected him in the past, or pleasant and unpleasant people because he can demonstrate a subjective approach, draw up an act and no one will notice this subjective approach. In this respect, his biography should be examined whether he has passed a known path, whether he has a business, and how he earns money. If he has a business, whether he will unbiasedly audit his business too. Otherwise, it has already become a chronic phenomenon that all such leaders are milder toward their businesses, as well as toward their officials.”
In addition, Mr. Makaryan also addressed the so-called professional skills of the SRC head. He raised a question as to what extent the head of the SRC be able to solve the issue of budget collection by using his professional capabilities as it is underperformed, “We have a budget problem now, the SRC head’s experience and dexterity, so we know him in the domestic market, whether he is going to use it, for example, in favor of the economy and business, or will think that he will collect the tax at all costs, which can cause scandals. I think that all this must be considered. Frankly speaking, I am not too fascinated by this candidacy, I think that the Prime Minister’s appointments until now were generating sympathy among the public, and was a team of more impartial people. In this case, I am not satisfied, and I assume that this appointment may have consequences in the form of risks, which we may listen from the perspective of different stories.”
Nelly BABAYAN
