YEREVAN, May 5. /ARKA/. All 21 commercial banks operating in Armenia are on the top 1,000 taxpayers list as of the end of the first quarter 2015, having paid a total of about 9.7 billion drams to the budget as compared to 8.9 billion drams in Q1 2014, Armenia’s State Revenues Committee reports.

Tax collection by tax authorities exceeded 9.6 billion drams and that by customs bodies was about 92 million drams, according to the report.

Direct taxes (profit tax, income tax) were about 8.6 billion drams, and indirect taxes (including VAT, excise tax) amounted to about 710.9 million drams, other taxes and mandatory payments totaled 349.3 million drams.

The share of the banks in overall taxes paid by the top 1,000 taxpayers in the reporting period was 6.3%.

The five leading banks were Bank VTB (Armenia) with about 1.16 bln drams (20th in the list), ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE (about 1 bln drams, 21st), Ardshinbank (928.5 mln drams, 27th), Ameriabank (856.3mln drams, 31st) and HSBC Armenia (849.8mln drams, 32nd).

Among the top 100 tax payers are Armbusinessbank (about 659.6mln drams, 39th), Inecobank (about 586.9mln drams, 39th), Unibank (562.58 mln drams, 49th), Araratbank (450.1 mln drams, 59th), Anelik Bank (403 mln drams, 69th), Conversebank (364.9 mln drams, 73rd) and Areximbank- Gazprombank Group (320.1mln drams, 82nd).

In total, top 1,000 tax payers paid over 152.3 billion drams to the state budget in January-March this year, as compared to 154.3 billion drams in the same period of 2014, a 1.3% reduction. ($1=478.26 drams). –0--