Minister proposes to triple whitefish catch duty

YEREVAN, February 25. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Minister of Environment, Hakob Simidyan, presented a bill to the MPs designed to amend the Tax Code, proposing to double environmental fees, with a threefold increase for catching whitefish.

Speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Territorial Administration, Agriculture, and the Environment, Simidyan noted that the current fee for catching whitefish is 65 drams per kilogram, while for hunting or catching other species, the fee is 50 drams. Under the new proposal, the fee for whityefish would increase to 200 drams per kilogram.

The minister added that at present, whitefish prices cannot be stabilized due to the existence of a black market, where there have been reports of whitefish being sold for as little as 150 drams per kilogram. He mentioned that steps are being taken to eliminate this black market. ($1 = 393.90 drams)