Pashinyan: Clergy are citizens of Armenia and must pay taxes
Clergy are citizens of Armenia and must act within the framework of the law, and if all citizens are required to pay income tax, then clergy must do so as well.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in a conversation with journalists on April 23, as reported by NEWS.am.
According to him, there must be complete transparency in Armenia regarding tax issues. "Why shouldn’t they pay taxes? For eight years, we have expressed readiness to implement systems under which taxes paid by the church would be fully returned to the church. Why should goods imported for the church (for example, coffee), which have no ritual significance, be exempt from tax? Why shouldn’t citizens know the turnover from the sale of candles and where that money goes?" he added.
According to Pashinyan, the current situation of the clergy is tied to making them dependent on a single individual from financial and other perspectives. "Why shouldn’t there be ethical norms in the behavior of clergy? Is it normal for someone holding the position of Catholicos of All Armenians to have children?" the head of government emphasized.
He added that the citizens of Armenia must answer this question. "The church is the people; there is no church without the people, without parishioners. Clergy are a very important part of the church, but the church is, first and foremost, the people. Ktrich Nersisyan (referring to Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II – ed.) is not the church," Nikol Pashinyan concluded.
