Reserve for the forgiveness of business debts - Spaho: Amnesty does not formalize the economy, it discourages those who pay
From January 2026, all unpaid tax and customs obligations of businesses, direct or indirect, as well as fines or late payment interest, belonging to tax periods up to December 31, 2014, will be automatically erased. While beyond this period, the opportunity will be given to pay a certain percentage within 2026 and forgive the remaining obligation. However, economic experts say that fiscal amnesty is not the right solution for the formalization of the economy.
Mateo Spaho, Economic Expert:
"The problem is that if in 2009, when the first fiscal peace or the first fiscal amnesty was made, businesses had consolidated debts of around 500 million dollars in relation to the tax administration, now we have 1.5 billion dollars, 3 times and in the meantime we have had 3-4 amnesties. The problem is that we have always started from the opposite, we have started from forgiveness and not from measures. In order to have an effect, so that "the cows do not leave the stable", we must build the stable once with walls and then say that we have time until this date to enter or leave definitively. Meanwhile, here we are talking about opening and closing fences, when we do not have fences and this is the real issue and problem. And for this reason in Albania we do not have discussions about flat tax, progressive tax, high tax or low tax because in the end, everyone pays no matter how much, not enough. These are the real problems that we have and this is where informality comes in. as a main and significant element".
According to Spaho, such amnesties discourage regular businesses. For this reason, it is recommended that other measures be taken towards the formalization of the economy.
"If we have a relatively honest business that pays taxes, it is at the same time in a very unfair situation to compete with other businesses that do not want to pay them and do not pay them. And instead of starting with reforms in the tax and customs administration, having clear rules, and without exceptions, we continue to talk about amnesty. Which means that we encourage even those who pay taxes not to pay them. I am not against an amnesty in itself, but first we need to take measures, then open the fence. I think it will have no impact on the formality of the Albanian economy."
The implementation of this law for the cancellation of unpaid debts of businesses will benefit approximately 207 thousand entities and over 1 billion euros will be forgiven.
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