Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 8
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The Islamic Republic's tax revenues would reach 570 trillion rials (about $20.8 billion based on official rate of 27,294 rials/USD) by the end of current Iranian fiscal year (March 21, 2015), Ali Askari, head of Iran's tax organization said.
He said that the predicted tax revenues would be materialized by 95 percent during the current year, the country's official IRNA news agency reported Jan. 8.
Iran's tax revenues stood at 428 trillion rials (some $15.68 billion) during the first nine months of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 21-Dec. 22, 2014), the official said.
The figure indicates an increase by 53 percent compared to the same period of preceding year, he added.
Iran's tax revenues account for 34 percent of the country's total budget in the current fiscal year, which is 18 percent more than the previous year.
Meanwhile tax revenues will hold 50-55 percent share of the country's total budget in the next fiscal year (will start on March 20, 2015).
Falling global oil prices, from $110 in mid-2014 to less than $50 currently, forced Iran's government to decrease the oil price figure in next year's budget bill from current $100/barrel to $72/barrel, but taxes revenues were set to increase by 30 percent.
The current share of taxes in Iran's GDP (at current prices) is about 7 percent, but Iran wants to increase the figure as much as possible.
Tax evasion is one of the main problems of the country's taxation system.
Earlier Askari said that about 25 percent of the Iran's overall economy does not pay taxes.
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