Customs collected 1.2 billion euros, Berisha shows products filling state ark

Kosovo Customs Director Bahri Berisha in an interview for Online Economy, in 2019 is a very successful estimate, since he says despite the fiscal policies that free Kosovo producers of all first class taxes, they managed to overcome expectations.

“As far as coming in this year, 1.2 billion euros are expected to be collected from customs, which is somewhere an increase of about 40m euros more than in the same period last year. This shows an extremely good performance of customs in terms of revenues considering that we have many fiscal policies in place that have released many products from taxes. Especially for Kosovo producers where the Government of Kosovo has now released Kosovo producers from all taxes on goods used in the production process, or for all impacts used in the process of production, including fuels, fuels that can serve during the production process. The only effect of these materials used for production processes is about 80m euros”, he says.

Berisha says tax releases for local producers cost the state 150m euros, but despite that managed to have 40m euros more in revenues.

He hopes that this trend of growth and recovery in the local economy will continue next year.

If we add the MSA's impact, which will be around 65m euros in 2019, but also the free trade agreement with Turkey having a small effect, shows that all tax releases are about 150m euros. If we take this 150m euros and on the other side we compare that we have 40m euros more shows that Customs has shown an extremely good performance in revenues. This trend of Customs Inflow continues and we hope that the next years will strengthen the local economy and revenues will be more collected from the inside, so from ATK”, he says.

Kosovo is a country that about 90 percent depend on imports of products, both food and other, while the three main products that are filling the state ark according to Berisha remain fuel, cars and tobacco.

These three products make up over 50 percent of total import revenues.

On an annual basis, if we take what three products bring in more revenues for the Kosovo budget continue to be the same. It's fuel, tobacco and vehicles. All these three products make up over 50 per total of the revenues we import. But we import food, and all the other products. Somewhere in Kosovo, tobacco consumption is about 3 thousand tonnes, with taxes alone amounting to around 200m euros. Then we have over 100m euros in vehicles. We have over 300 million in our fuels. So these are the three products Kosovars spend most of the time. These products also affect the excise”, he says.

Some 100,000kg of pyrotechnics were imported this year

And one product that has marked a dramatic decline in the last three years remains the pyrotechnic tool used mainly for holiday seasoning.

The head of Customs says that some 1 million pounds [1 million kg] were imported before the excise was imposed on the product.

Now it says that figure has dropped tenfold.

And if we're talking about the pyrotechnic means of entering into force three years ago of excise tax, we have a decrease in the amount of import of these tools. We've had about a million pounds of this year's base, and now we've got about a quarter of a hundred pounds of perotechnic tools that are mainly used for the holiday season, but also for other national holidays”, Berisha says.

The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning has asked municipalities to stop lighting fireworks due to the negative impact on the environment.