The Cadastre Committee has announced plans to waive penalties resulting from errors made in prior property tax calculations. This decision was revealed by Suren Tovmasyan, head of the Cadastre Committee, during the second reading of amendments to the “On Valuation Activities” law at the National Assembly on January 21, 2025.
Tovmasyan explained that inaccuracies were introduced during the digitalization of cadastral data, leading to undercalculated property taxes for certain citizens. Under existing laws, these individuals were required not only to pay the outstanding taxes but also to cover accrued penalties. The proposed amendments aim to relieve citizens of the obligation to pay penalties resulting from the Committee’s mistakes.
Acknowledging the Committee’s responsibility, Tovmasyan also highlighted cases where citizens were erroneously overcharged. These individuals had been compelled to make excess payments for property taxes due to miscalculations. To address this, the government plans to adjust future property tax obligations for affected individuals through recalculations.
Tovmasyan emphasized that the inaccuracies stemmed from systemic errors in the Committee’s databases, which have been accumulating since 2012. Since 2021, the Committee has identified numerous deficiencies, which led to either underpayment or overpayment of property taxes. For cases of underpayment, additional penalties were calculated, further burdening citizens. These penalties are now slated to be forgiven, offering relief to those impacted by these errors.
