President Hails New Tax Code

(Tbilisi. March 31, 2003. Civil Georgia) – President Shevardnadze in his Monday radio broadcast today welcomed the Parliament?s decision to liberalize the taxation with adoption of the new tax code.

The Parliament adopted draft of the new tax code with the first hearing on March 28 with the 109 votes.

The draft law, which is proposed to the Parliament by the Industrialist faction, considers liberalization of the taxation and reduction of number of taxes from 18 to 4.

However, President Shevardnadze criticized the MPs claiming that the Parliament ?should not have adopted the new tax code without discussing it at the government?s meeting.?