Water Tax Solution Required

At the table organised by the Kosovo Economic Oda today, water sector producers have been discussed on the water tax.

OEK Mayor Berat Rukiqi said that along with the Club of Producers, they provide a billing solution to the water tax.

He said there have been many misunderstandings that were unjustly addressed, where, according to Rukiqi, debts are being forgiven with specific numbers, but it's not actually due anything.

This gets an epilogue, businesses are in confusion. Even the government has a specific problem that it does not collect these tools or taxes”, Rukiqi said, adding that today, in the absence of MMPH representatives, it remains committed to a clearer approach.

According to him, the solution to the water tax problem remains among the five priority issues of Oda.

The Osman Union chairman of the Association of Alcoholic and Not Alcoholic Drink Production has said that these problems have been going on for years.

The main problem with institutions is the high water tax. The problem has been with retroactive, many businesses today face courts. It's true that no taxes have been paid, but that was because it was a high tax, and neither did I. Debts have been repaid conditionally, but not that amount of over 50m euros. We're willing to pay the water tax, but we need water permits”, Osmani said.

Brotherhood Osmani from the Kosovo Producers Club has said that many times have been close to solving the water tax problem, but frequent changes in Government have made it impossible.

“Through an administration directive in 2016, one of the requirements was to start the billing, while today we are in 2018, but no one knows exactly what the debt is, and still continues this problem”, he stressed, adding that the water production sector is unfairly labeled guilty.

Meanwhile, producer Visar Kelmendi has said that today's 13-year-old water resources and legalisation problem continues.

“We have agreed to legalize, but not in the form the Government wanted. That debt, according to us, is existing. This debt is old and it doesn't exist. In 2016 it is a article, Article 12, that is notorious for debt. So we insist on sending our bills and asking for legalisation. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj made a decision, but the political pressure he had, that decision found no application, because they called Prime Minister hain, as well as us, who called us thief and irresponsible. At least it's our fault, the problem is in government”, Kelmendi said.

It has been reported that the government has forgiven the debts of water producers about 60m euros, producers have rejected this debt figure, and no decision has been implemented to forgive debts.