Shirak residents voice frustration over mandatory card system and rising poverty

During a survey conducted in Shirak, locals voiced concerns about the country’s socio-economic situation. They complained about rising taxes, which are disproportionate to people’s incomes.

According to respondents, instead of creating favorable conditions, the state only imposes restrictions.

“Taxes are increased, but it’s their money that grows, not the people’s. If the 36,000 drams were raised to at least 80,000, people could somehow get by,” one resident said.

Residents are particularly worried about the mandatory introduction of the card system for pension payments and the ban on outdoor trade: “I’ve paid taxes to the state for 35 years, but now the noose has tightened. When they squeeze too much, a person suffocates.”

Another citizen highlighted the issue of employment, stressing that the labor market is closed to people of retirement age, while social support is insufficient: “I’m 68 years old, they don’t hire me, and there’s no place to work. Poverty comes from above. We don’t have a leader of the state; they’ve put all of Armenia under and are consuming it.”