Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) chairman Gagik Tsarukyan, during an election campaign meeting with residents of the Achajur village of Tavush Province, harshly criticized the authorities' socioeconomic policy, and stated that the increase in taxes and the deterioration of living conditions could lead to a mass exodus of the Armenian population.

According to Tsarukyan, the increase in real estate taxes in Armenia and the rise in apartment prices in the capital, Yerevan, create conditions in which residents will be forced to leave their homes.

"In order for 300 thousand Azerbaijanis to live in Armenia, our compatriots have nowhere to stay, their houses are closed, they must leave so that others can come and live there," he stated.

The politician slammed the decision to switch the calculation of property tax from cadastral to market value, and noted that the increased taxes will become a heavy burden for the elderly and pensioners in Armenia.

“If a person has worked all his life and received an apartment back in the days of the Soviet Union, he should have the opportunity to live there with dignity in his old age,” Tsarukyan noted, and proposed to exempt pensioners from the increased property tax rate.

During the meeting, residents of Achajur complained about the problems in the agricultural sector, the lack of irrigation and drinking water, the increase in fertilizer prices, and the lack of state support for farmers. One of them stated that after the dissolution of the Ministry of Agriculture, the villagers were left without state assistance.

Tsarukyan, in response, emphasized that border villages of Armenia need special attention, privileges, and subsidies.

“A villager today is the person who feeds the people and guards the border,” he said.

In his remarks, the PAP leader touched also upon security issues and relations with Azerbaijan. According to him, if the current situation persists, Armenia may face the danger of repeating the fate of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

“If this situation continues for another year or two, we will have the same fate as Artsakh,” Tsarukyan said.

In addition, he spoke about the construction of a gigantic statue of Jesus Christ and the “Noah’s Ark” complex in Armenia, and noted that these projects should strengthen the country’s international image and attract tourists.

The meeting ended with a discussion of social problems, the situation of the families of the fallen servicemen, and the situation in Armenia’s border communities.

Source: https://news.am/en/news/1035032