GEORGIA, ARMENIA SIGN TRANSPORT AGREEMENT

Prime-News, Tbilisi
25 Apr 06

Tbilisi, 25 April: Road transport entering Armenia from Georgia
will be exempt from paying [Armenian] road fund tax. An agreement to
that effect was signed in Tbilisi on Tuesday [25 April] by Georgian
Economic Development Minister Irakli Chogovadze and Armenian Transport
and Communications Minister Andranik Manukyan.

Chogovadze said that the agreement would allow both passenger and
freight carriers from the two countries operate between Georgia and
Armenia without any restrictions and extra costs.

Manukyan said that road fund tax exemption for Georgia was the Armenian
government’s response to the decision of the Georgian government,
which in 2005 abolished such a tax for vehicles from Armenia and all
other countries.

Under Armenian law, heavy vehicles carrying passengers and freight
pay between 200 and 280 dollars into the country’s road fund, while
cars are charged between 18 and 20 dollars.

The road fund tax exemption agreement between Armenia and Georgia
will come into force after ratification.