3 billion budgets required clear government programme, tax failure

The 3 billion-euro budget value is being considered ambitious, but not too elusive if economic informality is fought. However, the Kurti Government is demanding a programme on how the state budget can be achieved.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has warned that in the coming days the government will draft the programme and then present it for review in the Assembly.

The chairman of the Kosovo Chamber of Economics (OEK), Berat Rukiqi, says that this government for a mandate has envisioned a budget of 3 billion euros, but, there is still no recognition of the budget's collection forms in this amount.

Rukiqi claims that without seeing the government programme, it cannot comment on the country's growth budget.

“Ende does not have to see a clear program, normally the budget issue is involved with the medium-term expenditure Framework. And without seeing that document, we cannot comment. It's easy to comment on, can or cannot reach 3 billion euros. However, within a cipher it takes to see the source or reason why it is thought to go to this value. It is not elusive, and if economic informality is fought in the country and there are means borrowed from international financial institutions, then normally this budget value can also be reached”, Rukiqi says.

Whether there is an increase in taxes in the country for filling the 3 billion-euro state ark, the head of OEK says that if that happens, they will reject it as a business community.

I don't expect there to be an increase in basic taxes in the country, at least because this has been a commitment. However, if it tries to increase the budget by increasing taxes without exploiting other options related to fighting informality, we will reject any tendency to increase any tax in the country”, Rukiqi said.

Even Kosovo Producers Club Executive Director Astrit Panja says that the 3 billion-euro amount to the state budget in the government's mandate, Kurti, is extremely ambitious for the moment, as there is no programme for how it can be achieved.

Panja adds that economic development and private sector, as well as filling the state ark, can happen by combating informality, but also by cutting back the social scheme, which have been spent in a form that has not produced the right effect.

If capital investments continue to be on asphalt and roads, still we can't say it's a developmental budget. Budget expenditures should be targeted to increase overall economic activity. To have the support of production, support of exports, and in that form alone, we can say that this budget will have its effect”, Panja says.

While Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stressed that the office for strategic planning at the Office of Kosovo Prime Minister has accepted the material and will be transformed into a draft government programme into a special government meeting, where it will then be sent to the Assembly for approval.

This case I am informing you that for the logistics aspect of a special government meeting, where this draft government programme is transformed into a governing programme, assigning Deputy Prime Minister Ahaz to prepare that meeting for us and after the final adoption of the governing programme to continue with his discussion and approval even in the Kosovo Assembly”, Kurti has said.

Even the opposition, particularly the PDK parliamentary group's chief, Bedri Hamza, on the day when the new government is elected, has criticised Kurti's experience, and has demonstrated the dilemma for achieving the 3 billion-euro budget without a clear government programme.