Tax privileges granted by the current authorities are corruption manifestations that create unequal conditions for businesses, said Armenia’s second president and Hayastan alliance prime ministerial candidate Robert Kocharyan during a podcast.
“Now the authorities are granting tax privileges, exempting specific businesspeople from customs duties. This is the worst form of tax privilege, which carries enormous corruption risks,” he said.
He noted that in such circumstances, one company in the same sector receives benefits while others are deprived of that opportunity, Panorama.am reports.
“Almost all those who received privileges in this way later transferred money to the My Step foundation or the Civil Contract party. This is a direct manifestation of corruption. The authorities are granting tax privileges in exchange for what is essentially a bribe,” Kocharyan said.
Kocharyan also stressed that during his tenure he did not apply such an approach, and if privileges were granted, they applied to all businesses in the sector, excluding the possibility of individual decisions by officials.
Parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 7, 2026.
