Potential merger of tax and customs services causing

opposition

The much talked about merger of the state customs committee and the ministry of taxes has drawn heavy fire from Prime Minister Rasizadeh and presidential economic adviser Mail Rahimov. According to the latter, the IMF and WB-backed suggestion is totally unacceptable for Azerbaijan.

As an example, Mr. Rahimov referred to Georgia, where the merger of the two bodies failed to justify itself, as the taxes and other duties the two contributed to the state budget individually were considerably above those of their unified successor.

Given the rife tax evasion and widespread smuggling of goods across the borders, the presence of both bodies is highly desirable.*