Armenia may cancel customs exemptions for some electric vehicles

YEREVAN, 10 October. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan raised the issue of distribution of privileges for electric cars at the government session and noted that it is necessary to introduce tightening in this sphere.

According to him, it is already possible to say that old electric cars 10 and more years old can be imported, which raises questions in the context of the costliness of recycling batteries that have exhausted their resource. 

‘It turns out that the countries from which 7-9 year old cars are imported to Armenia get a double benefit. Firstly, the amount is sent from Armenia to their country, and secondly they are freed from the problem of waste disposal, because electric cars are sent to Armenia at a favourable price,’ he said.  

In this regard, the Prime Minister proposed to make amendments, according to which quotas for preferential customs clearance will be valid only for electric cars not older than 2 years.

According to Armenia's State Revenue Committee, the quota for duty-free import of electric cars for 2024 is close to exhaustion. As of 7 October, 7,400 of the 8,000 electric cars envisaged by the quota have already been imported from third countries. A similar quota of 8,000 electric cars with zero customs duty for 2025 has already been approved. -0-