On September 6, the regular meeting of the SME Development Sub-Council, chaired by Minister Vahan Kerobyan took place.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Rafael Gevorgyan, Deputy Minister of Finance Arman Poghosyan, Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Service Arthur Manukyan, representatives of the public and private sectors of the Sub-Council, representatives from other structures as well as the British Embassy in Armenia.

The participants of the meeting noted that the purpose of holding regular Sub-Council meetings monthly is not only to raise issues in the field, discuss solutions, but also to develop and implement initiatives aimed at developing the SME sector through joint cooperation.

During the meeting, the issues raised at the previous meeting of the sub-council were summarized, the work  carried out  on the assignments was presented.

In particular, the Consultant of the Business Support Office presented the results of their study on the issue of improving the toolkit for the clarification and proper notification of SMEs by the Judicial Acts Compulsory Enforcement Service. The issue of introducing a unified system of electronic notifications in Armenia was discussed, through which it will be possible to combine the five current notification methods available.

The study on the situation in Armenia, the best international experience, on the issue of avoiding registration as an employee in order not to be deprived of family allowance, was presented. The  research has shown that the majority of able –to- work people in families receiving family allowances are less likely to find a well-paying basic job because of their secondary education, which is why many prefer to receive benefits rather than a salary. The participants of the meeting discussed some options for regulating the situation and presented proposals. It was decided to organize a discussion with the participation of representatives of all interested structures and parties to develop effective options for the transition of beneficiaries to work, to create a stable income.

Issues related to product labeling, public procurement procedures and other topics of concern to businessmen were also discussed during the meeting, including the proposal for tax changes submitted by the Mantashov Entrepreneurs Union.

Summarizing the meeting, Minister Vahan Kerobyan noted, that the SME strategy should be in line with the Government’s new program, that has already been approved. The Minister also noted that the meetings with this format will be continuous, adding that active steps will be taken to provide solutions to the issues raised during the meeting.