Zaruhi Postanjyan to lawmakers: Stop cadging!

ArmInfo. Head of the Heritage  Faction Zaruhi Postanjyan urged her colleagues to vote against the  draft law "On compensation for harm to life or health of servicemen  defending the Republic of Armenia", which is currently being  discussed in Parliament.   

"The authorities have decided to create a new tax burden in the  pre-election period, because the ruling Republican Party of Armenia  (RPA) and its head Serzh Sargsyan need extra funds to retain grip on  power.  They are trying to illegally take 1,000 AMD from each  citizen," the MP stressed. Postanjyan noted that the society objects  to that draft law; so, the Parliament should vote against it. 

"Stop cadging! These illegitimate authorities are again trying to get  into our pockets and take 1,000 AMD, while poverty in the country is  30% and many people cannot bear that additional tax burden", she  said, adding that the Fund for the families of the killed or  handicapped servicemen should consist of the budgetary means due to a  decline in allocations for the President's Staff. "There are a lot of  millionaires in the Parliament and in the government machine. Let  them pay those funds. Moreover, Serzh Sargsyan and his family members  are also millionaires and they should be the first to give that  money," she stressed.     

To note, if the Armenian Parliament approves the draft law, the  specified Fund will be set up. Armenian Minister of Defense Vigen  Sargsyan has recently reported to the President of Armenia on the  commencement of a new program initiated and tasked by President  Sargsyan, on the steep increase in payments of state insurance (a  onetime as well as monthly payments) for the families of the  servicemen killed or handicapped in military actions or in the course  of military duty. The Armenian President's press office reported that  the families of the killed and first degree handicapped individuals  will receive a onetime compensation of 10 million AMD. The families  of the second degree handicapped servicemen will receive a onetime  compensation of 5 million AMD. Monthly compensations in case of death  of the serviceman or the first degree handicap will make 300,000 AMD  for the officers, 250,000 AMD for the junior officers and 200,000 for  the privates. In case of becoming the second degree handicap, the  compensations will respectively make 200,000; 150,000; and 100,000  AMD. That amount, in the form of insurance benefit, will be paid out  for 20 years, which will make 82 million AMD for the officers, 70  million AMD for the junior officer staff, and 58 million AMD for the  privates. The program will be financed through a special fund to  which every working person will monthly contribute one thousand AMD.