Wednesday, January 16 2019 18:06

ArmInfo.Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia David Ananyan urges not to link the inspections at Gazprom-Armenia with the possibility of reducing the  tariffs for natural gas. "The checks at Gazprom-Armenia continue,  these are routine checks of the taxpayer's relationship with the  budget," said Ananyan at a press conference on January 16.David  Ananyan noted that during the inspections there was a need for  certain investigative measures.

 "The process continues, and I advise you not to link the QGD checks  with possible changes in gas prices, since these are just ongoing  checks that are not being held for the first time. Just the topic got  a wider public response in the context of the SRC checking  activities, which I think is wrong it's reasonable, "said Ananyan.At  the same time, he noted that the checks at Gazprom-Armenia are  currently temporarily suspended to clarify certain data.Recall that  Gazprom's head Alexei Miller and Acting Deputy Prime Minister of  Armenia, Mher Grigoryan, signed the supplementary agreement to the  gas supply contract of Gazprom Armenia CJSC (the gas distribution  organization of the country, 100% from Gazprom) on December 31. The  price of gas for Armenia on the border with Georgia since the  beginning of 2019 has increased by 10% - to $ 165 per thousand cubic  meters. The agreement of 2016 lowered the price from the same $ 165  to $ 150 per thousand cubic meters.

At the same time, even on November 15, after the government meeting,  David Ananyan told reporters that during the scheduled inspections at  Gazprom Armenia, certain circumstances had been discovered that  required a criminal legal assessment. As the head of the SRC noted,  during these inspections, the tax authorities discovered certain  information that was submitted to the SRC  investigation department,  and the investigator made a decision to open a criminal case. "But a  criminal case is not a" verdict. "Within the framework of the case,  investigative actions should be carried out that cannot be carried  out within the framework of clarifying the relationship with the  budget," Ananyan explained.David Ananyan refused to report about the  amount of possible violations, citing the confidential nature of the  information and preliminary data. For the same reason, he abstained  from talking about the possible impact of violations on the current  gas tariff. When asked about the possibility of revising the natural  gas tariff based on the results of the criminal case, Ananyan pointed  out that this issue implies a deep analysis. "This is an equation  with several unknowns - it is necessary to establish whether there  were any losses at all," said Ananyan, recognizing that the losses,  nevertheless, could affect pricing.

The company "Gazprom-Armenia" called absurd charges of tax evasion.  As noted in the message, without discussion or notification of the  company, the Committee distributed completely unreasonable  information to the media. The company recalled that Gazprom-Armenia  CJSC, being for many years the first major taxpayer in Armenia, has  always carried out its activities exclusively in accordance with the  law, periodically receiving certificates from the State Revenue  Committee "Law-abiding taxpayer" certificates.  As noted in the  company, such activities of the State Revenue Committee may threaten  the business reputation and normal activities of Gazprom-Armenia.CJSC  Gazprom Armenia is a 100% subsidiary of Gazprom JSC,  providing for  the supply and sale of natural gas in the domestic market of the  Republic of Armenia. As part of the Gas Transmission System (GTS),  1,682.2 km of main gas pipelines and gas laterals are serviced. As  part of the gas distribution system, 15,116 km of high, medium and  low pressure gas pipelines and auxiliary facilities are currently  serviced. Gazprom Armenia is one of the leading companies in Armenia;  it occupies a leading and stable position in the system-forming  sector of the economy of the Republic of Armenia - energy.