Armenian authorities propose amnesty for  debts of individual taxi  drivers

ArmInfo. Armenian authorities are proposing an amnesty for individual taxi drivers who, between 2015 and 2019, were required to obtain a license and pay the  corresponding state fee, but failed to do so. During its September 24  session, the RA National Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs  approved the amendments to the relevant law submitted by  the RA  government.

As Armen Simonyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and  Infrastructure, noted in his speech, these amendments apply to  drivers who provided passenger transportation services using their  personal vehicles and were required to obtain licenses under the  previous Law "On State Duty." Although the provisions of the law have  since been repealed, the licensing of  the activity itself continues,  leading many drivers to accrue significant debts to the state over  the years. During this period, nearly 11,000 people were granted  licenses, with over 5,000 failing to pay their fees. The total debt  exceeded 1.3 billion drams, including 927 million drams in principal  debt and 415 million drams in fines and penalties.

Meanwhile, a new regulation for taxi drivers has been in effect in  Armenia since September 1, 2024, requiring registration and tax  reporting through electronic platforms. According to official  statistics, over 90% of all taxi orders in the country are now  processed through digital apps. From September 2024 to the end of  2025 alone, drivers connected to these platforms contributed 330  million drams in state fees to the budget. In fact, almost all  drivers-including those working off-platform-return to them  periodically for orders. This ensures coverage of almost the entire  sector and makes paying the toll virtually inevitable.  Authorities  note that with the transition to a digital payment model, the toll's  share of the price of each ride will reach 5% by 2026.

Taking these changes into account, the government has decided to  write off accumulated license debt, emphasizing that these amounts  were not included in the expected state budget revenues. In doing so,  the authorities are seeking to close the door on outdated regulation  of the industry and move toward a more "transparent and modern  model."