YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. The government has removed the clause on covering the production of carbonated drinks with excise tax from the Tax Code reforms bill, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan told ARMENPRESS.

He said the government has dropped the idea as of this moment. “We will adjust it in the event of further discussions. There was also a problem of principle. If we are viewing it as a healthcare matter and are trying to tax beverages containing high amounts of sugar, a question arises regarding other products which also contain high levels of sugar. As of this moment, this has been removed from the bill,” he said.

He said discussions with all stakeholders will continue to find solutions.

When the government initially said it wants to introduce a new taxing system for carbonated drinks, several manufacturers began protesting.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan