YEREVAN. – The bill on providing land and property tax privileges to the Armenian Apostolic Church has caused heated discussions at the parliament, and Hayatsk daily reflected on them.   

“The Holy See [of St. Etchmiadzin] had already sent the list of monuments and objects subject to [tax] privileges. In it 459 monuments were mentioned that were to be transferred to the Church. Also, a list of 286 structures were presented.

PAP (Prosperous Armenia Party) MP Naira Zohrabyan was astonished by the type of structures that are included in the list received from the Holy See. The list specifically presents the following objects: lands, plots of land, homes, restaurants, fields, pastures, tillage, movie theaters, workshops, football fields with surrounding structures, artificial lakes, cellars underneath the lakes, etc. ‘How will tax privileges to a football field help those problems which the Holy See will resolve?’ Zohrabyan asked” Hayatsk writes.