Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Tigran Sargsyan welcomes Lisa Kaestner
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received a delegation led by Head of IFC Investment Climate Advisory Service Europe and Central Asia Unit Lisa Kaestner.
Welcoming the guests, the Prime Minister said to be highly appreciative of IFC activities aimed at improving the business and investment environment of Armenia and went on to stress the importance of continued cooperation between the government of Armenia and the International Finance Corporation.
The parties have discussed the current status and the outlook of Armenia’s business reform and regulatory framework simplification program. In this context, they underscored the need for furthering joint efforts in the field of fiscal compliance, cross-border exchanges and administrative inspections, as well as the involvement of local and international experts.
Concerning the ongoing tax and customs reforms, a number of legislative improvements were said to have been implemented by the Government during 2010 leading to 30% reduction of time spent by economic entities on the preparation of tax returns. The Prime Minister noted in particularly that as of this January 1 Armenian taxpayers are allowed to submit their VAT statements online.
The interlocutors appreciated the “One stop shop” program of the Ministry of Justice, aimed at ensuring simplified procedures for establishing new businesses in Armenia, due to which the process of registration will be implemented in 3 days. The new system enables the agencies concerned to exchange information in online mode.
