Legal, medical services to increase 20%

TIRANA, April 16 – Fees charged for services offered by lawyers, doctors, engineers and economists will soon become 20 percent more expensive. The situation is a result of a government decision to impose value added tax (VAT) on independent professions which has recently entered into force after its publication on the Official Gazette.
The minimum threshold of VAT registration for taxpayers offering these services will be 2 million lek of annual turnover, according to the government decision.
Representatives of these professions say the changes will directly affect customers who are expected to pay 20 percent more for legal, medical and economic services.
Since January this year, the VAT threshold for small businesses has also decreased from 8 million Lek of annual turnover to 5 million Lek in an effort to collect more taxes.