TAX OFFICERS CRACK DOWN ON DEVELOPERS
news.am
Dec 29 2009
Armenia
This year has been a difficult one, Head of the RA State Revenues
Committee Gagik Khachatryan told reporters. He pointed out that the
crisis overlapped the tax and customs reforms.
In this context Khachatryan pointed out numerous unresolved problems.
He said that fiscal administration needs radical reforms. This year’s
customs revenues totaled 230bn AMD and tax revenues 290bn AMD. The
Committee returned a total of 20bn AMD of the overpaid 54bn AMD to
taxpayers. "The tax revenues from energy generating enterprises have
decreased by 1%, from transport and communication enterprises by 10%,
from the mining industry by 29% and from the construction sector
by 24%," Khachatryan said. Interestingly, the capital construction
sector has registered a 40% decline. The Committee must have cracked
down on developers.
The decrease in car imports seriously affected tax revenues (a 25bn
AMD decrease). Customs revenues from fuel imports showed a decrease
of 2.8bn AMD. Total customs revenues from imports showed a decrease
of 32% and from exports, 29%.
Large taxpayers had to lay off 12,000 employees, with only 1,500 jobs
opened. It is not quite clear whether the 1,500 are the former shadow
or "brand new" jobs. A 20% rise in ages has been registered. It may
be the former "shadow wages" as well. Qt his recent press conference
the Head of the Control Service of the RA President reported 29%
shadow employment.
Khchatryan said that the Committee is pursuing an "inspection to
control" policy. "If economic entities provide all the information, we
do not have to conduct inspections – we are able to control taxpayers,"
Khachatryan said. He complained about businesses, which "circulate
very few papers, but much money." This prevents the Committee from
revealing shadow turnover. The Committee is elaborating mechanisms
for increasing the official asset turnover.