YEREVAN. - Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on Wednesday met with the heads of ten large taxpaying companies of Armenia to listen to the issues hindering their activity, as well as the steps the government is expected to take in order to create favorable conditions for their further development.

Referring to the issues of concern to them, the taxpayers noted the large amounts of tax overpayment, facilitation of tax and customs administration, reduction of customs clearance time, competition field, etc.

Touching on the overpayments, the PM noted that it is necessary to work together with the State Revenue Committee of Armenia (SRC) next year to draw out a certain schedule. “Apparently, we must solve this issue. We have envisaged quite an aggressive growth of our own revenues next year. If during the growth of our own revenues we decide to reduce overpayments, can you imagine how much growth we envisage, mathematically speaking? Thus, the basic entries should grow even more,” he noted.

Responding to the observation that in the diesel duel market the largest importing companies work with zero income due to the invigoration of competition, PM Karapetyan noted that the competition field will come right on its own.

Furthermore, large companies rendering public services raised issues related to the improvement of infrastructure and normative field. Apart from this, a number of issues concerning the expansion of the activity of large taxpaying companies, increase of production volumes and issues related to the further development of economy were discussed.

Karapetyan proposed to form a joint platform with the agencies concerned to discuss the issues raised in greater detail, be in constant touch and develop the public-private sector discourse.