In Armenia, DEM.AM announces massive protests against new social pension tax

In Armenia, it was announced that within the accumulative pension system a social tax will be introduced instead of the 5-percent deductions from salaries. Activists protest against the decision, since, in its essence, it does not change the very pension draft law. This was reported by members of the initiative group DEM.AM at the press conference on June 16.

According to the members of the DEM.AM group, they received the new amendments from members of the four non-ruling parties.

The initiative group DEM.AM has disseminated the updated information. According to it, the working group established by the government after the decision of the Constitutional Court proposes to set a limit of 500,000 drams and to restrict the participation of the state up to a limit of 25,000 drams. The changes suggest that the social taxes for the people who receive minimum wages will be paid by their employers.

According to members of the DEM.AM, "new proposals do not suggest practical steps to change the draft law." They believe that "this is the same scheme, but under the different name."

According to Akop Arshakyan, a member of the initiative group DEM.AM, the new amendments also include the principles that contradict the Constitution.

"In this case, the initiative group DEM.AM will not give up its struggle. On the contrary, it will resort to more large-scale and more active protest actions," Manukyan has stated.

The members of the initiative group have announced they will continue their struggle not only for workers of the private sector, but also for public employees.

See earlier reports: "DEM.AM: in Armenia, public institutions dismiss employees who disagree with pension reform", "Protest against pension reforms in Yerevan was about 15,000 strong", "Armenia: DEM.AM activists call opponents of new pension system to strike".