YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly passed in the first reading the bill on All-Armenian Bank, and based on it, a package of additions to several laws with 103 votes in favor and 3 votes against at the December 24 special session. "Heritage" faction's members present at the session voted against the bill. The parliament discussed in first reading the government's legislative package which includes the bill on privileged payments and the bills on additions and amendments to a number of laws on tax sector. According to the main speaker, deputy chairman of the State Revenue Committee adjunct to the government Aharon Chilingarian, the proposed amendments and additions can be conditionally divided into 2 groups: some of them are aimed at encouraging investments and local production and simplifying the tax legislation for economic entities, while the others propose specification to the current laws and elimination of the shortcomings in the legislation. An increase in the current rates is envisaged in 2 cases. In particular, the fixed payments for cigarettes are increased. The fixed payments for games with prizes are also increased: the monthly payment for a gaming table is fixed at 4 million drams instead of the current 2.5 million drams. The bill on privileged payments proposes allowing natural persons, who are not considered as private businessmen and are engaged in some types of entrepreneurial activity, to be registered at a tax body and pay privileged payments. The bill is related to persons engaged in small production or providing personal services, in particular: repair of domestic appliances, production of footwear, clothes, leather items, carpets, musical instruments, oragnization of sport groups, and tutoring. A privileged payment is a compulsory and gratuitous payment substituting for income tax and value added tax (VAT). It is a lump-sum payment in the annual amount of the privileged payment for each type of activity. It makes 60,000 drams (about 200 USD) in Yerevan; 42,000 drams in regional centers; 30,000 drams in other cities and settlements within a radius of 20 km from Yerevan; 24,000 drams in rural areas, and 12,000 drams in remote regions. Privileged payments shall be made by persons if the turnover from services provided by them and work done by them (except for work done by hired workers) in the previous year does not exceed 2.5 million drams.

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