Thursday, 7 September 2017
Government Set to Establish Shorter Deadlines for VAT Return
A Cabinet sitting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan. Before proceeding to the agenda, the Prime Minister issued a number of instructions.
Concerning the deadlines set for the return of VAT in the field of winemaking and viticulture, the Prime Minister instructed the Head of State Revenue Committee to submit within a 2-day period a proposal on establishing shorter deadlines for VAT returns in case of export by grape processing companies.
Referring to the prevention of illegal crawfish hunting, the Head of Government instructed the Minister of Nature Protection to rule out the prolongation or the renewal of those fishing permits granted for the past few years. In addition, the Ministry shall work out and submit to the Government Staff within a two-month period a proposal on the revision of the procedure for issuing such permits.
The Premier’s third instruction had to do with semi-constructed and unfinished buildings. The Head of Government gave a month’s time to the Head of State Urban Development Committee and the Marz Governors to work with the Mayor of Yerevan with a view to making a list of all buildings and plots of land located on interstate and internal roads, in the central parts of towns and submit a proposal within a 2-month period concerning the future of those constructions.
With reference to the work being done on the drafting of the Armenia Development Strategy 2030, the Prime Minister urged the heads of all executive bodies to involve the best specialists in the working groups to be formed to that end and actively engage them in the development of the Armenia Development Strategy 2030.
The Executive adopted a decision, which states that wheelchairs and hearing aids shall henceforth be provided on the basis of respective certificates, enabling a person with a disability to get a wheelchair or a hearing aid according to their individual requirements.
The meeting approved the Government’s legislative initiative regarding the package of draft laws on amending the RA laws On Energy, On Licensing and On State Duty.
As a result of the proposed amendments, transition will be made from the seller-buyer model currently applicable on the domestic market to a new, liberal model; modern trade rules will be introduced, tariff regulation will be improved, new tools will be introduced for promoting interstate trade as priority for consumers in the domestic market and distribution of responsibilities among market participants.
The Executive approved the Shirak Marz Solid Waste Management Concept. Accordingly, it is proposed to introduce a European sanitary-hygienic standards-compliant cost-effective, environmentally-friendly subsystem that will involve the local population in its operations.
Another government decree was passed, which states that in the process of applying certain provisions of standing international treaties on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion the fact of residency may be evidenced through those electronic systems operated by the competent authority of the relevant country or a document generated from that system.
In order to address the housing problems of indigenous residents and their families living in hostels for a long time, the Government adopted a decision On Living Space Donation. The decision will meet the housing needs of a total of 46 households.
Karen Karapetyan assigned the Head of State Property Management Department to make an inventory of those premises released as a result of optimization and submit a reference note for discussion in the month of October.
