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OLIGARCHY WON AGAIN
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir.am
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments23063.html
"The heads of institutions which exceed estimates and at the same
time carry out effective reforms, usually don't resign. I refuse to
comment on false rumors," said the spokesman for the president, Armen
Arzumanyan, to Tert.am. He actually refuted rumors on resignation of
Gagik Khachatryan, head of the State Revenue Committee. Interestingly,
Armen Arzumanyan had not told the same to the Haykakan Zhamanak.
On the eve, this newspaper had informed about Gagik Khachatryan's
resignation and Serzh Sargsyan's order on his dismissal. Armen
Arzumanyan was asked a question, and he said that "president's orders
are published in due time". Why did Armen Arzumanyan not say at that
time that heads of institutions which exceed estimates do not resign?
Apparently, during the few hours between his comments for the Haykakan
Zhamanak and Tert.am something changed, and Gagik Khachatryan's
dismissal was withdrawn from the agenda. It is evidence to another
victory of the oligarchy. The point is that small and midsize
businesses are mainly dissatisfied with the SRC. This segment of the
economy is under the microscope of tax scrutiny, this segment has to
meet the indisputable demands of the tax service.
Meanwhile, the owners of major businesses, with only some exceptions,
usually don't complain of the activities of the SRC and its head. His
replacement may have caused their dissatisfaction. The replacement
of the head of the SRC could mean change of the rules of the game. If
Serzh Sargsyan has made a decision to replace the head of the SRC, it
means he intends to change the rules of the game. For the oligarchs,
it is not a desirable development if the current rules satisfy them,
especially for the importer oligarchs. Why should they get stressed,
worrying about the new rules, the new outlines of economic quotas?
Perhaps, it is not accidental that the price of sugar went up in
Yerevan when reports appeared in the press on the replacement of the
head of the SRC.
In fact, we witnessed another victory of the oligarchy when
the government declared fight on oligopolies and monopolies. The
effectiveness of this fight is, for the time being, zero, otherwise
there would be no statements that those who exceed estimates don't
resign. More important than estimates is how they are exceeded. As
one talks to owners of small and midsized businesses, one gets a full
picture of how tax and customs estimates are exceeded, at whose expense
they are exceeded. However, the government picks up the estimates
and ignores the worries and demands of small and midsize businesses,
which include change of leadership of the SRC.
But the reason of this is also clear. After all, the support of the
government in Armenia is not small and midsize businesses, the middle
class. In Armenia, the support of the government is major businesses
which are given unlimited privileges and the extremely poor who are
bought for five thousand drams of election bribes, a patch of tarmac
and a few meters of water pipeline.
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir.am
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments23063.html
"The heads of institutions which exceed estimates and at the same
time carry out effective reforms, usually don't resign. I refuse to
comment on false rumors," said the spokesman for the president, Armen
Arzumanyan, to Tert.am. He actually refuted rumors on resignation of
Gagik Khachatryan, head of the State Revenue Committee. Interestingly,
Armen Arzumanyan had not told the same to the Haykakan Zhamanak.
On the eve, this newspaper had informed about Gagik Khachatryan's
resignation and Serzh Sargsyan's order on his dismissal. Armen
Arzumanyan was asked a question, and he said that "president's orders
are published in due time". Why did Armen Arzumanyan not say at that
time that heads of institutions which exceed estimates do not resign?
Apparently, during the few hours between his comments for the Haykakan
Zhamanak and Tert.am something changed, and Gagik Khachatryan's
dismissal was withdrawn from the agenda. It is evidence to another
victory of the oligarchy. The point is that small and midsize
businesses are mainly dissatisfied with the SRC. This segment of the
economy is under the microscope of tax scrutiny, this segment has to
meet the indisputable demands of the tax service.
Meanwhile, the owners of major businesses, with only some exceptions,
usually don't complain of the activities of the SRC and its head. His
replacement may have caused their dissatisfaction. The replacement
of the head of the SRC could mean change of the rules of the game. If
Serzh Sargsyan has made a decision to replace the head of the SRC, it
means he intends to change the rules of the game. For the oligarchs,
it is not a desirable development if the current rules satisfy them,
especially for the importer oligarchs. Why should they get stressed,
worrying about the new rules, the new outlines of economic quotas?
Perhaps, it is not accidental that the price of sugar went up in
Yerevan when reports appeared in the press on the replacement of the
head of the SRC.
In fact, we witnessed another victory of the oligarchy when
the government declared fight on oligopolies and monopolies. The
effectiveness of this fight is, for the time being, zero, otherwise
there would be no statements that those who exceed estimates don't
resign. More important than estimates is how they are exceeded. As
one talks to owners of small and midsized businesses, one gets a full
picture of how tax and customs estimates are exceeded, at whose expense
they are exceeded. However, the government picks up the estimates
and ignores the worries and demands of small and midsize businesses,
which include change of leadership of the SRC.
But the reason of this is also clear. After all, the support of the
government in Armenia is not small and midsize businesses, the middle
class. In Armenia, the support of the government is major businesses
which are given unlimited privileges and the extremely poor who are
bought for five thousand drams of election bribes, a patch of tarmac
and a few meters of water pipeline.