ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: EQUAL CONDITIONS WILL BE CREATED FOR ALL ECONOMIC ENTITIES IN ARMENIA

arminfo
2008-04-24 00:02:00

ArmInfo. Equal and fair conditions will be created for all economic
entities in Armenia, furthermore, an active fight against corruption
and protectionism will start, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said
during a meeting with the leading staff of the Armenian Internal
Revenue Service, Wednesday.

The Armenian presidential press-service told ArmInfo that Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Vice Premier, Minister of Territorial
Administration Armen Gevorgyan, Head of the presidential administration
Hovik Abrahamyan, Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan, Minister of
Economy Nerses Yeritsyan and other officials were present at the
meeting.

The president said that parliamentary and presidential elections
have recently been held in the country, and pre-electoral programs
were presented to the public. It is time to implement these programs,
he said. The main idea of the programs is that the potential, which
has been accumulated over the past 7 years, allows the country to
pass to the second stage of reforms.

In this connection, the issue of state structures’ readiness for these
reforms arises. If the structures are ready, "then let’s move forward
together", S.Sargsyan said. Asked why the reforms should first and
foremost cover the tax and customs services, S.Sargsyan stressed that
it is natural as the matter concerns the rates of economic growth
and improvement of people’s welfare.

The president stressed that the authorities have no right to ask people
to wait for 3 or 4 years. He pointed out that one of the important
roles in development of economy, increase in the competitiveness
growth rates and fulfillment of the items of the state budget belongs
to the tax and customs bodies. "The Internal Revenue Service should
correspond to its name and destination, all of us should realize
that the internal revenue service is to make its activity close to
the public by providing services to state bodies and business. If we
manage to this, our main problems will be solved", S.Sargsyan said.

Head of the Internal Revenue Service Vahram Barseghyan and the heads
of the Service’s structural departments presented to the president the
work on shadow economy reduction, improvement of tax administration.