NA elections: ORO’s program vows tax holiday, abolition of monopolies

March 6, 2017 - 15:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanyan (ORO) alliance has presented to the public its election program, titled “365 days: Schedule of daily changes,” ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan, Armen Martirosyan from Heritage party and former foreign minister Vartan Oskanian will head the proportional list of the ORO alliance, while founding leader of Heritage party Raffi Hovannisian comes in under number 11. Elections are slated for April 2, with nine parties and blocs running overall.

The program is based on two principles, ORO says. It includes all issues of concern to the Armenian citizens, stipulating for actual present-day changes rather than promises for the distant future.

The bloc pledges, among other things:

To eliminate the system of artificial monopolies and develop a competitive environment instead;
To create favorable conditions for foreign and local investments;
To provide a 5-year tax holiday to small businesses with an annual turnover of up to AMD 60 million;
To provide support mechanisms for newly-emerging small businesses;
To set the value added tax at 18%;
To implement monetary policy supporting local producers;
To radically improve customs activity and make it one of the pillars of economic development and recovery;
To consider the support of small and medium-sized businesses a strategic issue of national importance;
To promote the launch of non-operating assets (whose launch brings no other tax revenues to the budget), i.e. non-residential real estate, increasing their property tax;
To raise the requirements for asphalt road pavements. Increasing the price by just 3% will make it possible to double their period of durability.

Also, the program details steps for increasing the Armenian army's combat readiness and ensuring a balance in the region. It envisages professional divisions, higher salaries, competitive armaments and better logistics equipment.

Besides, the alliance stresses that the country's foreign policy should be based on the following principles: Armenia-centeredness, independence, sovereignty, balance and realistic approach.

ORO rules out any unilateral concessions on the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, claiming that it’s impossible to reach any agreement without the Artsakh people’s involvement.

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