ArmInfo. The Church is a taxpayer and pays taxes, as stated by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II in an interview with editors of several Armenian media outlets. According to him, a special commission had previously been established to determine which specific ecclesiastical properties should be subject to property tax. "However, this process was suspended.
"Today, we are being presented with documentation, issued completely arbitrarily, that retroactively calculates not only standard property taxes but also substantial fines and penalties," stated the head of the AAC, noting that the Church recently received a formal notice to this effect from the Vagharshapat municipal authorities.
Furthermore, the Catholicos stated that the Church pays taxes on the raw materials used to make candles. "Until now, there were no such payments; we were exempt from these specific duties. However, the relevant changes have already been made to the legislation," he emphasized.
