Rama says government has the right to decide for pardoning property tax

Pristina municipality Chairman Progress Rama, in an interview for Online Economics, says the Government has no right to decide on behalf of municipalities to pardon property tax.

He says this cannot happen, as property tax municipalities use it for the benefit of citizens. He even compared this to the family budget, saying that money that yours is used to help your family, your children.

The “Property Tax municipalities are based on which they work and transform themselves. So, the central level cannot make a decision on behalf of municipalities to forgive them. As I'd like to say excuse your money to someone, because your money to them uses to help your family, your children, in this case municipalities help their citizens. If forgiveness happens, it could happen as we proposed, it's good it might happen from the Ministry, so it could be helped, or as we proposed in the Assembly of capital”, he said.

He said they have proposed that citizens this year be allowed as a conscious year to learn that the value of taxes has increased and that the payment starts from next year.

Rama even said that citizens pay more dearly, as their property value has now increased.

So, this year's time period of citizens is allowed to be a conscious time period and start with extra taxes, not extra but percentages that have not changed, but fortunately for all citizens, I'm saying that the value of citizens' assets is now counted as more valuable, and as a result it is a collateral that can be used for investments in education and other things. So, our citizens as a result are richer, and taxes have increased slightly, but if for citizens who can keep this payment, then normal please let everyone pay. While others who do not then have the normal opportunity to apply to have releases in the relationship up to 100 euros the government has proposed. If it's been 50 euros this year and it's become 120, then we can come down this year to 50 as it has been so far. So, let this be a transitative year, so we've proposed and I hope these will be taken into account by the Government, or else I'm saying that forgiveness can be done by the level, of course, without any problem”, he said.

Mayor Rama said they have good relations and real co-operation with many ministries, who, according to him, have had problems with the minister of finance over the matter of self-inflow.

“We have very good fantastic relations more ministries, we have real co-operation with various ministries of education, culture, infrastructure and the Ministry of Defence, and so on. We're saying we've run into the finance minister a little bit, and I'm hoping that since yesterday we've solved this problem that we're not going to have any problem with either Minister”, Rama said. /EO