Business owners hold protest rally against gov’t measures
Story Highlights
- They also complained against the intensive and repetitive audits by taxation officials, saying that often that they were arbitrary and corrupt.
Related Articles
TIRANA, Nov. 14 - Scores of business owners gathered in front of the main government building to protest against new penalties and taxes on small- and medium-sized businesses.
Holding banners and shouting slogans, they urged the government to withdraw from its new taxes and penalties, which they say are suffocating their small businesses.
They also complained against the intensive and repetitive audits by taxation officials, saying that often that they were arbitrary and corrupt.
They accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of declaring war on their businesses and said they would appeal the new law that sets a 50-fold law increase of fines to the Constitutional Court.
Business owners said they will convene again by the end of the month, gathering their partners from all over the country.
The same day, Rama said they had misunderstood the law on taxation procedures.
“We have said the opposition, that there will be a considerable extraordinary relaxation of their activity that will result in a financial profit for them. There will be no tax raise for them,” Rama said.
Shortly after the protests and in a surprise move, Prime Minister Rama announced he was removing profit taxes from most small and medium-sized businesses.
"Small businesses that benefit from the mitigation measures represent 85 percent of the business community as a whole," Rama said.
Opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha said the government was merely bowing down to growing discontent and stealing the opposition's ideas.
Basha has been on a nationwide tour pledging to cut taxes through a flat 9 percent tax on profit.
