On May 21 the parliament continued the work of four-day sittings.

Speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan said that the application on resignation of the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs Mr. Artur Aghabekyan is considered accepted, as in accordance with Article 26 of the law NA Rules of Procedure, after three days of its publication he hasn’t taken the application of his resignation.

The NA deputies passed in the first reading the draft law on Making Addenda and Amendments to RA law on Civil Service.

Then the parliament continued the debate of the bill on Making Addenda and Amendments to RA law on Fixed Payments, which was interrupted on the previous day.

Taking into account the two-day discussions the Speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan urged the controlling bodies to display civilized and moderate attitude towards a businessman and employer, as they provide the incomes of the country. In Mr. Abrahamyan’s opinion the controlling bodies must understand that they are given mechanisms not for solving their personal problems, but for enforcing the law. He believes that you don’t need to call all the businessmen thieves and robbers, but at the same time the businessmen, who violate the law, evade the payment of taxes, must be punished. In the Parliament Speaker’s word, there should be trust between the tax bodies and taxpayers.

In his extraordinary speech the NA Vice Speaker Mr. Samvel Nikoyan noticed that the interests of the state, the consumer and the businessman clash. Speaking about the protection of consumer’s rights the NA Vice Speaker noted that we should enable the consumer to make use of accessible and qualitative service. Mr. Nikoyan sees corruption risks in the system, which, according to him, prove the pipes of gas filling stations that work during certain hours of day. As he assessed, the bill is aimed at the protection of consumer’s interests and elimination of corruption risks. Mr. Nikoyan proposed the authors of the bill to accept the comment, which related to defining control in the government.

Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Mr. Vardan Ayvazyan said that the committee endorsed the bill.

In his concluding speech the co-author of the draft Mr. Robert Tovmasyan opined that the acting law is more risky than the submitted legislative initiative.

The legislative packages on Making Addenda to RA law on Firm Names, on Making Amendment and Addendum to RA law on Value Added Tax and on Making Amendment and Addendum to RA Customs Code and the bill on Constructing RA New Nuclear Energy Blocks.

At the session the Speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan and presented to the deputies Ms. Karine Achemyan, who replaced by RPA list the RA Minister of Education and Science, and wished her fruitful and productive work in the National Assembly.

RA Deputy Minister of Finance Mr. Suren Karayan presented in the first reading the package of the bills on Making Addendum to RA Code on Administrative Infringements, on Making Amendments and Addenda on Excise Tax, on Amending the law on Profit Tax, on Making Amendments and Addendum to RA law on Taxes and on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA law on Value Added Tax. He said that stemming from the significance of the issue the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs organized parliamentary hearings, where views sounded and proposals were presented. It was noted that the Government was ready to edit the bill based on those proposals from the first to second reading.
Mr. Hakobyan said that the committee endorsed the legislative package with reservations provided that their proposals will be included in the bills being presented for debate in the National Assembly. The package of the bills was debated, and the MPs had many questions.

The debate of the issue will be continued in the next four-day sittings.

The National Assembly ended the work of the four-day sittings.