The 11th session of the SME Working Group under the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly took place on December 13. The session was attended by committee deputies and representatives of civil society organizations who are members of the working group.

During the discussion, issues related to the implementation of impact assessment of legislative changes affecting SMEs and taxation mechanisms for membership fees paid by business association members were addressed. At the end of the meeting, the proposals made and future actions were summarized.

The session also discussed the package of draft laws “On Making Additions and Amendments to the Tax Code of the Republic of Armenia” adopted by the National Assembly in first reading in early December 2024. The package concerns the initiative to transfer professional services, including legal and accounting services, from the turnover tax system to the general taxation system.

Karen Zadoyan, President of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, proposed: first, to postpone the transition of the legal services sector from the turnover tax system to the general taxation system until 2026, and second, to postpone until the same deadline a similar change for advocate services that is set to take effect from January 1, 2025. According to him, during this period, it is necessary to develop optimal, fair, and equitable solutions through constructive dialogue with competent state bodies that will meet the interests of both the RA Government and persons providing legal and advocate services.

Photos from the Facebook page of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs.