Another fuel company in Fier fined

TIRANA, Nov. 19 – Customs authorities have fined a fuel company operating in the region of Fier, southwestern Albania, around 86 million lek (Euro 603,000) for avoiding excise tax payment. Customs authorities say controls carried out in the Fier-based Trading Petrol & Drilling showed the company had avoided 28 million lek in excise tax and was fined a total of 86 million lek for the violation.
Last October, Customs authorities also unveiled Euro 2.7 million in damage to the state budget caused by the launch into the market of 4,400 tons of fuel in Lezha, northern Albania, without paying excise taxes. The fuel owned by Ada petrol had been stored at the Shengjin Port and was under surveillance by local customs authorities. The company was ordered to pay a total 780 million lek (Euro 5.4 million) for the violation.
Customs director Elisa Spiropali has announced the customs administration collected an extra USD 28 million in October 2013, compared to September 2013 just before she took over as new director of the customs administration representing the Socialist Party which won the June 23 general elections.
Last October, Albania’s customs administration also imposed heavy fines on Turkey’s Kurum for its steel plant operations in Elbasan on tax evasion.