ArmInfo. Armenian authorities have set the goal of reducing congestion of freight vehicles at the country's land borders caused by the need to prepare tax and customs duty payment reports. At its November 5 meeting, the National Assembly's Committee on Economic Affairs approved the first reading of amendments to the Tax Code and the Law "On State Duty" submitted by the government.
As Hamlet Sahakyan, Deputy Chairman of the State Revenue Committee, noted in his speech, road tax exemptions are envisaged in a number of cases. Specifically, it is proposed to exempt border users from environmental tax, road tax, and state duty payments. The package stipulates that environmental tax payments can be made within 15 days of crossing the border, but no later than the day the vehicle is returned. The same applies to road tax and state duty. In the latter case, the package provides for a one-time payment, rather than the current two: one for the vehicle crossing the border and one for the cargo subject to declaration. Now, there will be a single state duty, but its amount will be slightly increased. Specifically, it is envisaged that the state duty for vehicles with a carrying capacity of up to 3 tons will be increased from 5,000 drams to 7,000 drams; for vehicles with a carrying capacity of 3 to 10 tons, the rate will be increased from 10,000 drams to 13,000 drams; for vehicles with a carrying capacity of 10 to 25 tons, from 15,000 drams to 18,000 drams; for vehicles with a carrying capacity of over 60 tons, from 20,000 drams to 24,000 drams; and for vehicles with a carrying capacity of over 60 tons, from 30,000 drams to 35,000 drams. As a result, an average monthly state duty of approximately 35 million drams will be collected, which will offset the underpaid state duty.
Some benefits are also provided. Thus, if a vehicle driver fails to meet the road tax payment deadline due to poor road conditions, payments will not be made. In this case, a certificate from the authorized agency will serve as the basis for the exemption.
