YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. A 9% growth of Armenia's GDP is programmed in 2007, the RA Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Pavel Safarian said during the discussion of the 2007 draft state budget at the November 8 joint sitting of the RA National Assembly standing committees. According to him, the overall revenues will make 489.5 bln drams against 436.5 bln drams in 2006. This sum includes not only taxes and duties but also non-tax revenues, official transfers and foreign grants. The draft budget envisages to collect 80 bln drams (about 210 mln USD) additionally by increasing the macroeconomic indices and improving administration. Non-tax revenues of the state budget will make 11.4 bln drams against 8.1 bln drams in 2006. The deputy minister said that the share of taxes and duties in the budgetary revenues has grown considerably - to 93% against 87-89% in the previous years. In the words of Chairman of the State Customs Committee Armen Avetisian, customs revenues will make up over 40% of the budgetary revenues. It is envisaged to collect about 162 bln drams in 2007 against 141 bln drams this year. A. Avetisian noted that the rapid appreciation of the Armenian dram has quite a negative impact on the tax collection by customs bodies.

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