Arpine Minasyan

Protesting recent changes to Armenia’s “trade tax” (a sort of sales tax), shopkeepers and manufacturers in the town of Sevan closed their doors today to customers, resulting in long lines for basic items like bread.

“I’ve been waiting in line for an hour just to buy two loaves of bread,” said one woman. “It’s like the bad old years have returned.”

Small and medium size business owners argue that the changes to the law, requiring them to receive and save inventory purchase receipts, is yet another bureaucratic burden imposed by the central government that will force them into bankruptcy.

“The stores are closed and there’s a line outside the bread factory. The parliament is passing laws that harm the people,” complained a man waiting for bread. “The situation in the country is getting worse.”

Business owners returned to the same spot today near the market where they demonstrated against the changes to the tax law yesterday.

At today’s rally, they said they were waiting for a visit from their parliament representative Karen Botoyan. “We’ll wait her till 2pm but aren’t holding our breath,” said one protestor. “The shops will reopen till October 5. After that we’ll shut them again and take appropriate measures.”

When this reporter asked why the shops would reopen tomorrow, store-owners told me that they couldn’t deprive people of the basics and that there were perishable items to sell.