News.am
The mining sphere has turned into a monopoly for government officials. The Chairman of Greens Association Hakob Sanasaryan made this statement at the press conference held on 27 June:
“Several years ago the Nature Protection Minister who is now the Chairman of the Parliament Standing Committee became the owner of 10-14 mines, and now he is expected to adopt a law on soil,” Sanasaryan said meaning Vardan Ayvazyan, the Chairman of Parliament Standing Committee on Economic Issues.
ARF Dashnaktsutyun offers to nationalize mining companies
News.am
It is necessary to create a state mining company, which will control major assets of mining companies and the flow of funds in this field, said expert from ARF Dashnaktsutyun party Ashot Yeghiazaryan.
Yeghiazaryan, jointly with chairman of Armenia’s Green Union Hakob Sanasaryan, expressed discontent with the new Code on mineral resources approved by the Armenian parliament.
According to ARFD member, 80% of mines’ profits should be allocated to the state budget and only 20% left to the operating company.
Under the new code, companies of mining industry will not be fullly taxed, Sanasaryan stressed.
Bill On Minerals will cut millions of tax revenues, experts say
ArmInfo
The Bill On Minerals will deprive the state treasury of millions of tax revenues, Hakob Sanasaryan, Head of the Union of the Greens of Armenia said in a press conference, Monday.
He said that the bill lacks the idea refuse ores. Instead, the bill contains the word "accumulation" that opens unlimited opportunities for mineral users to evade taxes.
"There is no law in the country that stipulates payment for accumulation of mineral resources. In fact, mining companies get a brilliant opportunity to pocket hundreds of millions of drams," Sanasaryan said. Another strange opportunity of the bill is that forest sector is not among facilities where deposit development is
prohibited, which will free the hands of mining companies.
"Public has been opposing development of Tekhut deposits that will lead to felling of hundreds of hectares of forests for several years already. Now, we are facing legalization of such activity causing unrecoverable damage to nature," Sanasaryan said.
In addition, the bill provides for inheritance of the licenses for use of mineral resources.
"Such legislative omissions are not for nothing i.e. the ore mining sector is in the hands of statesmen for a long period of time already. They are interested in giving privileges to mining companies," he said.
There are 30 metallic deposits on the state balance of mineral resources of Armenia, including 22 are currently exploited. Coordinator of ARFD Expert Goup Ashot Yeghiazaryan says the budget loses at least 77 billion drams because of the light tax burden for exploitation of deposits.
The bill developed by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia with the financial and technical support of the World Bank is discussed in the parliament.
June 27, 2011 at 15:51