Zhoghovurd newspaper of Armenia writes as follows, in particular. The Zhoghovurd daily was informed that the Government's initiative to allocate money from citizens to NGOs, media outlets, and parties at the expense of income tax will be discussed today at the session of the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs of the National Assembly.

The draft authored by the government will be presented by Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan. However, the most important question surrounding this initiative is not what new opportunity is given to citizens, but who will decide which organization deserves that money, and according to what criteria.

Zhoghovurd daily has studied the legislative initiative, according to which the money being gratuitously allocated by citizens to NGOs, legal entities engaged in media activities, individual entrepreneurs, and parties will be included in the list of social expenses.

At first glance, the initiative is presented as an additional opportunity for citizens to support civil society, the media, and political forces [of Armenia]. However, there are a number of questions in the content of the draft, the answers to which are missing in the legislative text.

In particular, the draft stipulates that the Government will determine the individual directions of social spending, their maximum amounts, the scope of NGOs, media, and parties entitled to receive support, the criteria being present to them, as well as the procedure for submitting and publishing information.

In other words, the law does not establish clear criteria, but leaves these important decisions to the discretion of the executive branch.

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Also problematic is the fact that the same mechanism includes media outlets, public organizations, and political parties. These are structures with different missions, nature of activities, and public roles. And the part of the parties was added at the last minute.

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Thus, the key provisions of the legislative initiative, from the scope of beneficiaries to the maximum amounts of allocations and oversight procedures, have yet to be determined by the executive [branch].

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The draft provides that the changes will apply to the amounts of income tax calculated and paid for the 2026 and subsequent tax years. And the Government must adopt the resulting by-laws within three months after the adoption of the law.