YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia attaches great importance to amending the tax code for overcoming poverty, PM Nikol Pashinyan said today in parliament.

He said the amendments will create a new segment in the Armenian economy, the micro-business. Pashinyan said micro-businesses will be exempt from all taxes. Businesses with up to 24 million drams in annual turnover will be considered such.

“It will enable to truly encourage people in starting small businesses. Generally, there are different perceptions regarding methods of overcoming poverty in Armenia. By saying overcoming of poverty, in many cases it is understood as supplying food, clothing and other material goods to such families. This is done without answering to the question on what will happen a year later. If the problem isn’t solved fundamentally, this kind of an approach will serve corruption. Therefore we must help people to start their own business. Our perception in overcoming poverty is work,” Pashinyan said.

According to the PM, people must have the chance to start businesses from scratch, and this requires creating favorable tax conditions, expansion of accessibility to financial flows and helping in increasing business education level.

Pashinyan noted that simultaneously the society must change its approach in paying taxes. He says that people must understand that raising pensions, reconstructing roads and regulating other issues require money in the budget. And to reach this, everyone must pay taxes.

“Whoever you approach and say they should pay taxes are getting surprised. How, a singer should pay taxes? An attorney should pay taxes? [Yes], how else do you want problems to be solved? We are inviting everyone to participate in the economic revolution,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan