IT IS PROPOSED REVISING CALCULATION PROCEDURE OF FIXED PAYMENTS FOR OPERATION OF GAS FILLING STATIONS

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 8, 2009
YEREVAN

The RA National Assembly on June 8 passed in first reading the bill
on amendments and additions to the Law on Fixed Payments. The bill
was submitted by about thirty NA deputies. It in particular proposes
that the fixed payment be determined by gas sale volumes instead of
the number of gas filling pipes at the given gas filling station.

According to the bill’s authors, the legislative initiative is aimed
at simplifying the operation of gas filling stations, from which
users of this service will also benefit. In conditions of the current
law, the economic entities reduce the number of pipes to a minimum,
which creates uncomfortable conditions and queues of consumers. In
the opinion of the authors, the proposed amendment will also reduce
corruption risks by excluding the possibility that the economic entity
and the inspector will reach an agreement on changing the gas-meter’s
data because the data will be registered at ArmRusgazprom.

In the words of Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Armen
Alaverdian, the government is against the presented version and
believes that the bill should be changed. He said that in particular,
it is necessary to ensure correct registration of gas received and
gas sold by installing a second meter sealed by the tax body, allowing
representative of the tax body to read data of measuring devices at any
moment, and establishing mechanisms of influence on sale prices of gas.

The registration of gas received by 280 economic entities engaged
in gas filling of transport means is currently done by meters of
ArmRusgazprom CJSC, and the tax body cannot ensure control of correct
presentation of sale volumes.