ArmenPress
Dec 28 2004
OFFICIALS PROMISE IMPROVED TAX COLLECTION NEXT YEAR
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS: Senior Armenian tax officials
promised Monday to collect all taxes, which were projected by 2004
budget. Armen Alaverdian, a deputy head of state taxation service,
told a news conference that the tax service will collect 142 billion
drams in taxes before the end of the year, 4 billion drams more than
set by the 2004 budget.
He said the outgoing year will see, for the first time, more
collected profit and income taxes than projected. The main focus of
the news conference was on the new order of collection of obligatory
social payments, which is to be carried out beginning next year by
tax service, which the authorities say has a bigger arsenal of means
to collect more than the Social Security Fund that used to do it. For
comparison, next year tax services are supposed to collect 65 billion
drams in obligatory social payments against 48 billion drams, set for
the Fund this year.
According to officials, there are around 60,000 economic and other
entities which have to pay obligatory social payments, but they also
say that a significant portion of them, mainly trade outlets and
firms, specializing in delivery of various services, pay less than
stipulated by the law, hindering a tangible rise in retired age
pensions. They underreport their profits, show lower wages of their
employees and avoid social payments.
According to officials, around half of 60,000 entities show that
their employees’ monthly wage does no exceed 13,000-20,000 drams a
month, though these wages are at least twice higher.
The deputy of the chief taxman also said they will publish the
names of 300 big taxpayers once in three months, beginning next year,
as stipulated by changes in the law on tax service.