The 1,000 Dram Conundrum of Armenia’s Military Benefits

Armenian army (Photo: Photolur)

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

As soon as Armenia’s newly minted defense minister, Vigen Sargsyan, announced a mandatory tax of 1,000 drams on every Armenian taxpayer to be allocated toward providing benefits for fallen or wounded Armenian soldiers, a vocal wave of opposition began to spring up in political circles, the news media and social networks.

Those opposing the measure clearly state that they are not against the Armed Forces, but question the sudden tariff on citizens who are already burdened by low wages and high taxes. Some even went as far as to challenge the government to urge the super-rich oligarchs, whose questionable earnings and lavish spending have become an eye sore for the not-privileged classes in Armenia.

Having just returned from a brief trip to Armenia, I can attest that the contrast between the haves””the minority””and the have nots is blindingly stark. On the other hand, the four-day war in April and continuing attacks by Azerbaijan make the question of how best to take care of the veterans and their families a critical priority.

A thousand drams is a little more than two dollars. For the Armenian worker earning minimum wage, however, it is a significant amount to be parsed out in a monthly tax, for which the person has not had a chance to budget.

The idea, which minister Sargsyan calls the building of a “nation army,”