YEREVAN. – Armenian capital city Yerevan bazaars’ several hundred merchants, who are protesting the new Law on Turnover Tax, on Thursday assembled outside the Government Building.

The merchants demand that the new law be voluntary, the Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter informed from the location.

A large number of police officers are also outside the building.

Stepan Aslanyan, chairman of the Armenian Union of Small Entrepreneurs, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the merchants plan to go on a general strike, but they are waiting for the government to change something.

To note, the assembled merchants have resented Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan’s statement, who had said: “What? Do you want a March 1 [tragedy again]?”

“If no amendments are made to the law today, we will carry out a March 1,” the merchants said, in anger.

Pursuant to the new Law on Turnover Tax, which has come into force on Wednesday, a business enterprise will be warned at first, and, subsequently, it will be fined for not submitting a document on its commodity circulation. The large businesses, however, often do not provide documents to the small and medium-sized enterprises concerning the products. The government justifies these amendments with the need to prevent tax evasion by Armenia’s large businesses.