MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT: DEADLINE FOR LICENSING OF ARMENIAN TAXIES APRIL 6
ARKA
March 30, 2009
YEREVAN, March 30. /ARKA/. April the 6th is the deadline for licensing
of taxies in Armenia, Armenian Minister of Transport and Communications
Gurgen Sargsyan told journalists Saturday.
The Government did its best to ease the problems of taxi services in
the licensing process and payment of dues and expects that all taxi
services operating illegally will apply for the respective license,
the Minister said.
The Government reduced the due for getting a license from 200,000
Drams down to 25,000Drams for individual taxi drivers, which is by 8
times lower that the due paid by tax service companies. Individual
taxi drivers can pay the state due amount within 5-6 months, the
Minister said.
The Government also agreed with importers and domestic producers on
deferment of payments against counters to be set in taxies. The cost
of the counters is about 60,000-80,000Drams, Sargsyan said. Taxies
will have the opportunity to pay this amount within half a year to
a year with no prepayment required, he said.
The Minister also said that the issue on driving Armenian taxies with
yellow numbers (ARKA – taxies licensed in the territory of Armenia
have yellow number plates) on the territory of Georgia is currently
under consideration.
All the licensing documents are to be arranged promptly within 7-10
days, the Minister said.
After the deadl ine, April 6, stricter measures will be taken toward
non-licensed taxies, Sargsyan said.
According to Armenian Ministry of Transport and Communication,
currently there are about 6,500 taxies having the required licenses,
paying taxes and dues. According to rough estimates, the number of
non-licensed taxies is about the same.
Today, the penalty for use of white number plates instead of the
yellow ones required by the law is 20,000Drams.
In 2008, the Ministry issues 411 licenses for transportation by
taxi. As a result of the licensing process, a total of 80.8mln Drams
were transferred to the country’s state budget.
According to the official information, 476 licensed taxi services
companies with a total fleet of 5,599 cars operated in Armenia in
2008. ($1=366.11Drams).