Kocharyan accuses Armenian government of granting selective tax breaks with 'corruption risks'

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan on Tuesday accused the country’s leadership of selectively granting tax exemptions to individual businesses, warning that the practice carries significant corruption risks.

Speaking on a podcast on Monday, Kocharyan, who is also the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition Hayastan bloc in the June 7 parliamentary elections, said the government has been waiving customs duties and other taxes for specific companies rather than implementing sector-wide policies.

“This is the worst form of tax privilege, which entails substantial corruption risks,” he said, arguing that such measures distort competition by favoring certain firms while excluding others operating in the same industry.

Kocharyan contrasted the approach with policies during his own presidency, stating that any tax incentives granted at the time were applied uniformly across entire sectors to prevent discretionary decision-making by officials.

“If privileges are extended to all businesses within a given field, it removes the ability of bureaucrats to decide who benefits,” the ex president said.

He further alleged that many companies receiving such exemptions have subsequently made financial contributions to the My Step Foundation or the ruling Civil Contract party.

“These are direct manifestations of corruption,” Kocharyan said. “In effect, tax privileges are being granted in exchange for payments akin to bribes.”