ArmInfo. The labor migrants from Gegharkunik closed the Yerevan-Martuni highway, demanding to cancel the decision of the State Revenue Committee (SRC) on additional taxation of labor migrants who went to Russia for seasonal work .
It is noteworthy that the latter received notifications from the State Revenue Committee about additional tax obligations in Armenia (since 2022) and penalties, without warning citizens about such innovations in advance. The labor migrants paid taxes in Russia, having employment contracts with employers, in the amount of 13%, while in Armenia the income tax is 20%. The State Revenue Committee now requires labor migrants who have stayed in the Russian Federation for less than 183 days to pay the difference of 7% in Armenia, plus imposing a fine for non-payment of 0.4% for each day. "We demand justice! The problem is becoming global. The voice of the people is not heard," complained one of the protesters. He noted that only 2-3% of labor migrants who earn their living through hard work in Russia are gathered here.
Gegharkunik labor migrants wondered how the SRC can start taxation from 2022, when they announced their innovations just a few days ago, sending notifications of tax debt and fines for non-payment. "There is no logic in this decision," said a resident of the region.
It is noteworthy that the tax authorities and the migration service, where labor migrants applied, were unable to answer the question of who and when adopted this law. "I showed the document about the tax debt to the lawyer, he said that there was neither a specific legal solution nor logic. So, who wrote this law?" asked one of the protesters.
Citizens leaving to work stated that the Republic of Armenia does not provide them with work, medical insurance, or a place of residence in Russia during seasonal work, but it does impose taxes. And this is against the backdrop of the fact that, due to the depreciation of the ruble, their earnings have decreased significantly. "The remaining pennies with which we return home to support our children, raise a future soldier, and a future mother should be used to pay a fine? The authorities do not care about the regions at all, do not provide jobs, either in industry or in agriculture. The only income is seasonal work in Russia," noted residents of Gegharkunik.
Governor of Gegharkunik region Karen Sargsyan met with the protesters. In response to all his arguments and explanations, citizens demanded that the latter protect, first of all, the interests of the residents of the region, and not refer to the law for the EAEU member countries. Sargsyan said that discussions are currently underway in the State Revenue Committee on the adopted law, asking residents to wait for the results.
Days earlier, Tatevik Bezhanyan, Expert of the Migration Program of Armenian Caritas, raised this issue during a press conference, emphasizing that it is advisable to introduce such innovations only after the State Revenue Committee has carried out a large-scale information campaign to inform labor migrants about the additional tax obligations that they may have upon returning to Armenia. Referring to the RA law, Bezhanyan said that labor migrants will not be burdened with tax obligations if they stay outside Armenia working for 183 days or more, that is, they are not tax residents of the country. According to data for 2022, the number of labor migrants from Armenia who have an employment or civil contract in the Russian Federation exceeds 130 thousand people. Thousands of them received letters from the State Revenue Committee stating that they have tax debt in the amount of 100 thousand to 1 million drams. The total amount of this debt so far is about 187 million drams.