On January 13, 2004 , the Achilles Center for the Protection of Drivers' Rights sent letters to Yerevan district tax departments of Yerevan , seeking information regarding paid parking lots throughout Yerevan , in particular, the number and total area of lots, and fixed taxes paid in 2001-2002. Only the tax departments of the Kentron and Shengavit districts responded to the Achilles Center 's request. The Kentron department, however, provided figures for the city of Yerevan , not the district. The Shengavit tax department replied that there were no registered companies running paid parking lots in their district.

The Arabkir and Erebuni district tax departments (DTDs) did not acknowledge receipt of the NGO's letters. An office clerk at the Arabkir DTD was unable to explain why. The Shahumian DTD told us that they hadn't received any letter from the NGO. The Mashtots DTD received the letter, registered it, and sent to the service division, but none of the division employees had any idea where the letter could be-they had lost it. They explained that in January they had had "complicated situations", and promised to find the letter and send a response. The employees of the Khorhurdayin DTD hadn't lost the letter, and agreed to respond after we reminded them that they were required to do so by the law.

The most interesting response was from the Kanaker-Zeytun DTD. At first, the deputy head of the department, Armen Kharkhamyan, became angry, wondering why they should respond to an NGO at all, and provide what was is his opinion "secret" information about paid parking lots. He added that the day after they received the letter, the head of their legal division called the Achilles Center and told them that they refused to provide the information. But by law, upon receipt of a written request, they were required to explain in writing why they refused to provide information. When we spoke to Kharkhamyan, he said that all the information they have is secret. When we reminded him that they were required to provide the NGO with information in accordance with the Law on Freedom of Information, we found out that the deputy head of the department didn't know that such a law exists. He then concluded that this law was not for them, but for journalists, and that the tax departments didn't have the right to provide information without the approval of a senior official. In the end, he added that he could have refused to speak with us as well.

Thus, seven out of nine district tax departments of Yerevan violated the law. One "was not in the mood" to accept the letter, another had "complicated situations", and a third believed that everything in his department was secret. If this is how they provide journalists and NGOs with information, we can imagine what it must be like for ordinary citizens.

Varduhi Zakaryan, Hasmik Mkrtchyan, Lena Nazaryan