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Taxed over Taxes: Pension reform continues to create chaos
http://armenianow.com/society/pensions/51847/armenia_pension_reform_civil_initiative_protest
PENSIONS | 06.02.14 | 22:54
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Members of the civil initiative protesting against the mandatory
pension reform are urging state bodies in Armenia to take respective
steps and disperse the legislative chaos created in the economic
entities of Armenia because of the new law on pension savings.
Enlarge Photo
"I Object!" initiative member Davit Manukyan told the press on
Thursday that they had received numerous employees' complaints of
especially state budget-funded entities where they report being
threatened to choose a pension fund. Besides, numerous companies,
discarding the Constitutional Court decision of January 24, made
pension savings deductions from the salary for January.
"Pressures can be come across not only in the state system, the
Central Bank, too, is pressuring trade banks to make their employees
choose a pension fund," says Manukyan.
Following the CC decision of January 24, suspending the application of
two articles in the law until the final court ruling on March 28, some
240,000 citizens born after 1974 gained a temporary relief from making
their selection of savings funds and fund managers, meant to have been
completed by January 1, while employers got exempt from penalty and
sanctions applicable by the law for failure to make or delay the
mandatory savings payment.
Despite the CC interim decision, in January company accountants were
forced to face a big issue, as the salary payment report forms already
have the mandatory pension savings deductions, and the system does it
automatically. Activists say the government should have first of all
removed the line about the mandatory payment in the report form to be
able to carry out the CC ruling.
"How are employers planning to compensate the money, if the CC
declares it anti-constitutional, as the law does not provide for any
refunding mechanisms," ask members of the initiative.
Employees of Metsamor nuclear power plant, Haypost, and even the
National Assembly have warned about the pension deductions from their
salaries for January. At the same time, some major companies, such as
Orange Armenia, Ashtarak Kat, Synopsis Armenia, the American
University of Armenia, World Vision Armenia, the Armenian Caritas and
others, have not made the respective deductions.
"I Object!" initiative member Gevorg Gorgisyan believes state
officials' claims that the part about the mandatory savings payment is
impossible to remove from the online tax report form are groundless.
As a programmer, he has offered his assistance with it.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday in the parliament, the Labor and Social
Affairs Minister Artem Asatryan, responding to the question whether
following the CC decision employers have the right not to make the
mandatory payments to the pension funds, said that they are obliged to
make the respective payments.
"The CC has ruled that sanctions will not be applied against employers
who won't make the payments," said the minister.
Today more than a thousand citizens protesting against the application
of the new law held a "March for Rights" urging state bodies to
fulfill their duties properly and refrain from creating a chaos. They
voiced their appeal in front of the Ministry of Education and
Sciences, the Government Building, the Central Bank, the City Hall and
the State Revenue Committee.
From: Baghdasarian
http://armenianow.com/society/pensions/51847/armenia_pension_reform_civil_initiative_protest
PENSIONS | 06.02.14 | 22:54
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Members of the civil initiative protesting against the mandatory
pension reform are urging state bodies in Armenia to take respective
steps and disperse the legislative chaos created in the economic
entities of Armenia because of the new law on pension savings.
Enlarge Photo
"I Object!" initiative member Davit Manukyan told the press on
Thursday that they had received numerous employees' complaints of
especially state budget-funded entities where they report being
threatened to choose a pension fund. Besides, numerous companies,
discarding the Constitutional Court decision of January 24, made
pension savings deductions from the salary for January.
"Pressures can be come across not only in the state system, the
Central Bank, too, is pressuring trade banks to make their employees
choose a pension fund," says Manukyan.
Following the CC decision of January 24, suspending the application of
two articles in the law until the final court ruling on March 28, some
240,000 citizens born after 1974 gained a temporary relief from making
their selection of savings funds and fund managers, meant to have been
completed by January 1, while employers got exempt from penalty and
sanctions applicable by the law for failure to make or delay the
mandatory savings payment.
Despite the CC interim decision, in January company accountants were
forced to face a big issue, as the salary payment report forms already
have the mandatory pension savings deductions, and the system does it
automatically. Activists say the government should have first of all
removed the line about the mandatory payment in the report form to be
able to carry out the CC ruling.
"How are employers planning to compensate the money, if the CC
declares it anti-constitutional, as the law does not provide for any
refunding mechanisms," ask members of the initiative.
Employees of Metsamor nuclear power plant, Haypost, and even the
National Assembly have warned about the pension deductions from their
salaries for January. At the same time, some major companies, such as
Orange Armenia, Ashtarak Kat, Synopsis Armenia, the American
University of Armenia, World Vision Armenia, the Armenian Caritas and
others, have not made the respective deductions.
"I Object!" initiative member Gevorg Gorgisyan believes state
officials' claims that the part about the mandatory savings payment is
impossible to remove from the online tax report form are groundless.
As a programmer, he has offered his assistance with it.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday in the parliament, the Labor and Social
Affairs Minister Artem Asatryan, responding to the question whether
following the CC decision employers have the right not to make the
mandatory payments to the pension funds, said that they are obliged to
make the respective payments.
"The CC has ruled that sanctions will not be applied against employers
who won't make the payments," said the minister.
Today more than a thousand citizens protesting against the application
of the new law held a "March for Rights" urging state bodies to
fulfill their duties properly and refrain from creating a chaos. They
voiced their appeal in front of the Ministry of Education and
Sciences, the Government Building, the Central Bank, the City Hall and
the State Revenue Committee.
From: Baghdasarian