Government offers a changed deal on the fines procedure

TIRANA, April.9 – After the controversial debate in the Parliament regarding the new procedures for paying fines in full before legal contestation, the government has offered a new deal for businesses to pay 25 percent of the fine. The changed offer has been once again repelled by the business community which has explained that whatever is the amount that should be paid in cash, it offers a clear abuse incentive to corrupted tax authorities. Business has argued that even in the amount of 25 percent the fines can reach unsustainable levels since they are often calculated as 5 times the amount of the money owned to the state. Small businesses have raised the voice against this law and have called upon the President to oppose the law. Some of the owners have argued that in a mall business a fine to be paid fully in cash sometimes risks the closure of the entire activity.
Discussions within the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party have also launched forward the proposal of Prec Zogaj to establish a court that will deal exclusively with the contestations of business and tax authorities.