A regular Cabinet meeting took place today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Before starting the discussion of the agenda, Nikol Pashinyan referred to the vision of the Government of Armenia for the de-escalation of the regional situation, establishment of long-term stability and peace.

The Government approved the procedure for providing state support to the employers if they employ former servicemen who had been injured as a result of military operations and have been recognized person with disability

The draft decision proposes to provide state support to employers who will sign employment contracts with ex-servicemen who have been injured as a result of military operations and have been recognized a person with disability. For each employed person, it is envisaged to provide assistance to the employer for a maximum period of one year in the amount of the income tax generated from the salaries of the mentioned persons, on a quarterly basis in the amount of maximum 100000 AMD, as well as one-time compensation of maximum 500000 AMD if there is a necessity to adjust the workspace for the employee with disability. The procedure will be applicable for all the ex-servicemen who acquired disability both during the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh on September 27, 2020, and all other military operations in the past.

The Government approved the legislative initiative on the draft law of ‘’Making Amendments to the Tax Code of the Republic of Armenia", which will be submitted to the National Assembly in accordance with the established procedure. The goal of the amendment is to change the direction of the income tax refund in the amount of interest paid for the mortgage loan service, and give it a more pronounced social significance and balanced territorial development. To this end, it is proposed to gradually limit the scope of the privilege in the center of Yerevan and the adjacent area. In the next 3 years, the new constructions will be directed to the fourth and higher zones of Yerevan, outside Yerevan, and from 2025, without time limits, to urban-rural settlements outside Yerevan. The adoption of the draft does not mean that the refund of income tax should be suspended for the persons who became beneficiaries of the system before the adoption of this law or the deadlines set by this law. Persons of this circle will continue to receive income tax amounts according to the prescribed procedure.

The Government approved the legislative initiative on making amendments to the laws on the ‘’Budget System of the Republic of Armenia" and ‘’Law on Local Self-Government", which will be submitted to the National Assembly in accordance with the prescribed procedure. The proposed amendment will introduce a concept of fair redistribution of revenues generated from the use of subsoil resources. In particular, it is proposed to direct 2% of the amounts paid by the royalty payers to the state budget to the affected communities, and it is not a about introduction of a new 2%, but a deduction from the already paid 2%. The draft also envisages increasing the role of the Council of Elders, as the program implemented by the deduction will be approved by the Council of Elders. A report should be published on the websites of the local self-government bodies and Governorates, ensuring accountability and transparency.