YEREVAN. – The National Assembly (NA) of Armenia on Friday passed, in the first reading, the package of bills with respect to making amendments to the laws on state duty and on informing the implementation of activities, the Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter informed from parliament.

This package of bills—by the initiative of the government—proposes to increase the customs duty to up to 22,000 drams (approx. US$45) for each ton of cement that is imported to Armenia from Iran and other countries. The Armenian government justifies this proposal with the wish to assist in the competitiveness of local producers.

But as per the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MPs and its chairman and head of its NA faction and tycoon MP Gagik Tsarukyan—who owns Ararat Cement, the country’s largest cement producing company—these measures are not enough. In particular, they were demanding that customs duties be imposed also for cement clinker, which is an intermediate product during cement production.

But this proposal was criticized by the ruling My Step Alliance MPs, who expressed concern that Tsarukyan wants to strengthen his position in Armenia’s cement market, thereby creating a real threat of monopolizing this sector.