Gastronoms warn locals shut down, deliver keys to the government

At a media conference, Petrit Klokoqi, chairman of the association, has warned that on Monday they will close their businesses and hand over keys to the government.

Klokoqi has called on the Government of Kosovo for assistance so that it will not close 70,000 businesses in this sector due to government measures and no subsidies in wages and rent.

He also stressed that they are working on only 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the circulation, while the expenses are all for workers, rent, state-run payments and loan installments.

We're not gathering today to return our work 100 percent as we were. We're looking for what belongs to us today. For 1015 years we've been in charge of taxes, towards the state and the ATK, and we've paid all the taxes. While, today the state reflection against us is very dim, where we have held a meeting today to demand the state or the government of Kosovo co-operation. Measures that have been set for distance, not to work inside bars, for cutting schedules, and other measures, we are not wrong. We're saying if anything is forbidden, there's something else allowed. If they've decided measures, let's have a subscientization. Gastronomia is suffering this pandemic, this economic disease that has affected us all. Why? Because we're working with 50 percent automatically less than in the past, because we can't work inside. The design we've created for outside environments has lost us 20 percent of our circulation, plus the reduction of our schedule has reduced to 20 percent our circulation”, Klokoqi stressed.

He has also said that he will hand over the state cases, since they will no longer pay state taxes.

“We have decided on July 27th before the Kosovo government to take a symbolic action to send the keys to the premises from 12:00. All gastronomial businesses have to close down and we have I deliver keys to the Kosovo government and close this sector themselves. At the same time, we have to bring in the fiscal understanding of what we've been working on for 15 years and we've paid all taxes that we will no longer bear fiscal responsibility. If we've been paying taxes until today, we're looking for compensation only for the employees we paid our taxes to return to us. If we have contributed so far to Kosovo's state budget, we are looking for a return because we are in crisis and we are not able to make it through”, he said.

He finally said 25 businesses have only closed in the sector.