Communist Association: Property tax, energy, and inflation are burdening citizens

The mayors of Kosovo's municipalities are facing constant complaints by citizens concerning the increase in cost of living, influenced by property tax, tax on agricultural lands, and the possibility of expensive electricity.

The Kosovo Communists association (AKK) has urged the Government to take into account these concerns, warning that these measures are directly affecting local economic development and the welfare of citizens.

AKK Executive Director Sahan Ibrahimi has stressed that municipalities are the first institutions where citizens express their frustrations and that numerous complaints about these increases have recently been addressed. Ibrahimi stressed that the latest arrangement for taxing on agricultural land has bypassed exemptions for land being worked.

“Communs and mayors are the first door where citizens complain, in this case they have also complained about the possibility of increasing the price of electricity, which will affect the cost of the lives of Kosovo's citizen. Over the last few years, we've had property tax hikes as a result of the reevaluation made by the Ministry of Finance. Then last year, it started for the first time that agricultural lands could also be taxed, so there was a direct impact on farmers' pocket, considering that the last law had been the first land that has been unworked can be taxed, and that those that are used not to be taxed so that farmers could be encouraged to work the land.

This time the central level has decided that regardless of whether land is worked or not, it should be taxed. Lifting property taxes, then taxing on agricultural land, access to electricity raising 15 percent, all of these are affecting local economic development and the lives of citizen”, he said.

The Communist Association has reacted to these issues, calling for the Government to review decisions weighing the citizens' financial burden. Ibrahim said he hoped the law on property tax would be adopted so that it does not burden citizens further.

The AKK's “Bord has come up with a statement and has demanded from the central level to take into account these expenses, which are costing the citizen of Kosovo. Everything affects local economic development. Fortunately, this year after the AKK reacted to the central level, it was decided to suspend its progressive property tax rate, where business bills would directly be raised up to three or 300 percent, but this has been immediately suspended because it could be implemented next year. We are hoping that the central level this year will hold the Law on Property Tax and the demands of the mayors of the municipalities channeled through the AKK will be taken into account and that citizens' bills go exactly as they did three years ago before the re-evaluating of property”, he said.

Abraham estimated that the economic situation for citizens is getting worse every day.

Each day the citizen's life is getting worse because of price hikes, due to inflation, property tax, agricultural land tax, now electricity and all these citizens' woes are first being heard by mayors who through the AKK ask to consider these requirements. What is another requirement of municipalities always when these actions are done directly affecting the citizens of Kosovo and should be taken into account the demands of municipalities, the demands of mayors, because they too are conditionally heedarians in these processes”, he said. /Democracy/