ArmInfo. It is impossible to completely get rid of the shadow economy, but minimizing its impact on the development of Armenia is one of the primary tasks of the State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia. Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Rustam Badasyan stated this on October 31 at a hearing in the commissions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on the draft state budget of the country for 2024.
According to him, until recently, the assessments of the shadow economy by the State Revenue Committee and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Armenia were somewhat different, but as a result of active discussions they were brought closer together.
For example, Badasyan continued, the volume of "shadow" through the value added tax is 120 billion drams, approximately the same amount falls on the income tax. To identify abuses in the tax sphere, it is necessary to work to strengthen the capabilities of department employees. In particular, this can be done using desk research, the application mechanisms of which are important to improve with the use of artificial intelligence to identify existing risks. "It is also necessary to be attentive to information coming from third parties and government agencies. Cooperation with international partners with whom the exchange of tax information is planned, including the automatic exchange of information on financial accounts, is also very important," Badasyan emphasized.
He also pointed out the low culture of tax payment by individuals. For example, after the provisions of the law on the application of uniform income tax rates in relation to micro-businesses came into force in July of this year, 2 thousand jobs "disappeared" from this sector in August, who either quit or quit their jobs "on paper." Inspections have begun in this area. However, according to Badasyan, as long as the micro-business system operates, abuses in it will not stop.
The head of the State Revenue Committee also emphasized that the overwhelming majority of the department's work was focused on business taxation, and individuals, as a rule, fell out of the research. Badasyan expressed hope for the use of a system of mandatory income declaration to create a tax culture among individuals. To solve these problems, a separate division is being created in the State Revenue Committee.
