BIG TAXPAYERS ARE MOSTLY FROM YEREVAN
Aram Zakaryan

Lragir.am
01 May 06

There are interesting changes on the lists of 300 big taxpayers of
2005 and the 300 big taxpayers of the first quarter.

One of the most notable changes is the recession of Flitfood Company,
owned by Member of Parliament Samvel Alexanyan. In 2005 this company
was the fifth taxpayer (last year it paid 7 billion drams), in the
first quarter of this year it is the 32nd with 245 million drams.

Flitfood imports sugar, and 99 percent of sugar in Armenia is imported
by this company. And the import of sugar is not seasonal.

Let us recall the rumors about a businessman who started the business
of importing sugar to Armenia on the approval of the authorities. The
season might be the reason why Shant +, occupying the 264th place
among 300 taxpayers of 2005, cannot be found among 1000 taxpayers of
the third quarter. This company produces cakes, sweets, but dominates
on the market of ice cream. Again about Samvel Alexanyan. Another
company owned by him, Natali Pharm, which imports medicine, has gone
up the list; if in 2005 it was 56th, in 2006 it is 51st. Moreover,
the amount of taxes that this company paid shows that this business is
not seasonal. Over the past year Natali Pharm paid 675 million drams,
in the first quarter – four times less, 147 million drams.

The business of other companies, Zigzag, Yerevan Champaign Wines,
etc, is not seasonal too.

By the same statistics, the business of Coca Cola is not seasonal
either. The company, however, has yielded its position; if last year
it was the 16th, this year it is the 41st. The first fifth companies
are stable. Copper and Molybdenum Factory is similarly the first, the
second is again Armentel. The sixth big taxpayer is Pares Armenia,
the eighth is Distribution Networks of Armenia, the ninth is Grand
Tobacco and the Nuclear Plant of Metsamor, which is the tenth on
the list, have sustained their achievements. If last year the petrol
company Flash was the third, and Armrusgasard was the fourth, in the
first quarter of 2006 they exchanged places.

K-Telecom, Vivacell, moved from the seventh to the 15th position with a
“tiger’s bounce.” If this company paid 2.2 billion over the past year,
in the first quarter of 2006 it company paid 1.6 billion.

The rumored bird flu, which “did not visit us,” had an extremely
negative impact on Armenian poultry farms. By the way, the owners
of poultry farms have been alarming over the past months. If in
2005 the six largest poultry farms of Armenia, Lusakert, Yerevan,
Arzni and Arax, were among the 300 big taxpayers of Armenia, in the
first quarter of 2006 only two poultry farms, Lusakert and Arax,
are found on this list. In 2005 Arax Poultry Farm was the 102nd,
Lusakert was the 103rd, with 342 million drams each, whereas in the
first quarter of 2006, Arax is the 131st with 70 million drams, and
Lusakert is the 296th with 30 million drams. In the first quarter of
2005 Getamech Poultry Farm is the 548th.

After the casino scandal in Moscow, involving Member of Parliament
Tigran Arzakantxyan, Great Valley Company owned by him dropped by
186 points. This brandy factory paid 164 million drams and was the
132nd last year. In the first quarter of 2006 Great Valley paid 27.8
million and is the 318th. The Mill of Yerevan, owned by another member
of parliament, Levon Sargsyan, also bounced back. In 2005 the mill
paid 373 million and was the 89th, in the first quarter it paid 30
million and is the 297th.

The Underground of Yerevan, living on subsidy, is the 355th taxpayer
in the first quarter of 2006. It paid 24.7 million drams. From among
the state government agencies only the National Assembly is a big
taxpayer; in addition, it is not in the first 300 but in the first
500. In the first quarter of 2006 the National Assembly returned 20
million out of the funds it gets from the state budget. By the way, in
2006 the National Assembly will get more money than the government and
the president’s administration. The National Assembly will get 2.087
billion, the budget of the government will total 1.1 billion and the
president’s administration of the president 1.9 billion. Perhaps this
is the reason why the president’s administration and the government
are not among big taxpayers.

Both in 2005 and in the first quarter of 2006 the majority of taxpayers
are based in Yerevan. Out of the 300 big taxpayers only 74-75 or 25
percent are based in the regions.