ArmInfo.Lawyers in Armenia express dissatisfaction with the draft amendments to the Tax Code, according to which, from January 1, 2025, public defenders will be transferred to the general field of taxation.
The club's statement received by ArmInfo, in particular, states that from the specified date it is planned to exclude the turnover tax for the provision of legal services, and to transfer public defenders to the VAT field. This decision, according to lawyers, was made without providing any justification for assessing the legality of changes in tax policy in accordance with international standards. "An assessment of the possible impacts and risks to the human rights system was not provided, and adequate public awareness activities and discussions with stakeholders were not conducted," the statement said.
During the discussions held on May 16, the Chairman of the RA Chamber of Lawyers Simon Babayan presented problematic aspects of the controversial provisions of the draft. In particular, when developing the project, the nature of legal activity was not taken into account, as well as the fact that the provision of legal services very often occurs within the framework of legal protection, and not business activity, therefore the taxation policy for legal services cannot be tightened and equated exclusively to economic sectors. As a result, if the document is adopted, the cost of legal services will increase significantly, the possibility of providing free legal assistance will be excluded, since it will also be subject to taxation, the availability of legal assistance for citizens and the exercise of the right to judicial protection will be significantly reduced.
Considering the fact that on May 17 the draft bill will be discussed at a meeting of the National Assembly commission on economic issues, lawyers demanded that the commission ensure their participation in the discussions. They are also pushing for action to remove problematic provisions from the bill. In case of avoidance of discussions or haste in the adoption of a document with problematic provisions, lawyers threaten to start protests by refusing to carry out the defense, including in the courts and in the preliminary investigation authorities.
