Armenia`s government sets new rules for Duty free

ArmInfo. The Armenian government is establishing a new operating procedure for duty-free shops. The decision was made on November 21 at a regular meeting of the Cabinet  of Ministers. 

According to the explanation to the document, the project plans to  introduce a pre-qualification system that will improve the  competitive environment of the industry and eliminate inefficient  organization of activities in the industry.

The document defines the criteria for pre-selection that must be met  by persons applying for inclusion in the register of duty-free shop  owners, and also defines a completely new procedure for inclusion in  the register of duty-free shop owners with a tender. In particular,  it is proposed to create a commission that will conduct a preliminary  assessment of the proposed activities of entities applying for  inclusion in the register, selecting the best of the available  proposals. Only legal entities that have passed the pre-qualification  in the manner determined by the relevant decision may participate in  the competition for the lease of real estate, while simultaneously  ensuring a competitive field for pre-qualification. In other words,  through pre- selection, the actual ability of a person to organize a  duty-free shop is first confirmed, and only then is the opportunity  provided to participate in the process of renting the premises.

This project will ensure the possibility of preserving the right to  lease state or municipal real estate for the purpose of organizing a  duty-free shop for a person who has previously confirmed the ability  to organize a duty-free shop, and will exclude the possibility of  concluding a lease agreement for premises with a person who does not  have the said ability. 

As a result, the situation will be excluded when the premises are  leased to a person who does not have the ability to organize Duty  Free. As a result, it is also planned to improve the reporting system  of duty-free shops, apply uniform approaches to all Duty Free, and  monitor their activities, right down to the level of persons making  purchases.