Pristina, October 26, 2022
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated today in the first Regional Conference for the Improvement of Tax Debt Management, organized in Kosovo by the CEF Center of Financial Excellence, Slovenia, in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, the Tax Administration of Kosovo and the Administration Tax of the Netherlands.
Prime Minister Kurti, while expressing his satisfaction that he was present at this workshop today, said that the fact that these respected international institutions are considering the Tax Administration of Kosovo as a case study for good, shows the dedication, responsibility and growing professionalism of this institution.
Speaking about the successes of the Tax Administration of Kosovo, the Prime Minister emphasized that this institution has improved the collection of revenues and that only during the January-September period of 2022, 542.8 million euros of taxes were collected, representing record revenues. “Compared to the same period of the previous year, we have an increase of 95.8 million euros or 21.4%. Whereas, compared to our plan, we exceeded it by 33.9 million euros or 6.7%”, said the Prime Minister.
In front of those present at this event, Prime Minister Kurti also mentioned the Consolidation of the Debt Collection Function, as one of the most important reforms, which has fundamentally raised the quality of tax debt management.
This positive performance, he further added, is the result of the increase in discipline in the tax administration and the number of inspections on the one hand, and the increase in tax morale or the motivation to pay taxes on the part of citizens, on the other hand. “When citizens and businesses see that the institutions are not corrupt and are not misusing and protecting public money, spending it with care and plan and accountability, they are more willing to pay taxes, convinced that it will then be used for the public good through public services”, declared the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Kurti congratulated the organizers for this workshop, which, as he said, enables the advancement of knowledge and practices through the exchange of inter-institutional and inter-state expertise.
The full speech of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti:
Dear participants,
Dear Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo Mr. Hekuran Murat,
Dear head of the Tax Administration of Kosovo, Mr. Ilir Murtezaj,
Dear representatives of the International Monetary Fund of the Tax Administration of the Netherlands, representatives of the Tax Administrations of the countries of the region, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania and Albania,
The honorable representative of the Center for Excellence in Finance, Mrs. Repansek,
Your Excellency, the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Kosovo, Mrs. Minca Benedejqiq,
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to be present today at this event – that is, at the first Regional Conference organized in Kosovo for the Improvement of Tax Debt Management. The very fact that these respected international institutions are considering the Tax Administration of Kosovo as a good case study shows the dedication, responsibility and growing professionalism of this institution. Therefore, I congratulate all those who contributed and are contributing to this continued progress.
At the same time, I thank our international partners, such as the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, and others, who with their continuous support are shareholders of these positive developments within the Tax Administration of Kosovo.
The Tax Administration of Kosovo has improved the collection of revenues. Only during the January-September period of 2022, 542.8 million euros of taxes were collected, representing record revenues. Compared to the same period of the previous year, we have an increase of 95.8 million euros, or 21.4%. Whereas, compared to our plan, we exceeded it by 33.9 million euros, or 6.7%.
One of the most important reforms is the Consolidation of the Debt Collection Function, which has substantially raised the quality of tax debt management. For the details, I believe that the representative of the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Jim Sorensen, along with acting General Director and other relevant officials of the Tax Administration of Kosovo will address.
This positive performance is the result of the increase of discipline in the tax administration and the number of inspections on the one hand and the increase of what the literature knows as tax morale on the other hand or the motivation to pay taxes on the part of citizens. Because when citizens and businesses see that the institutions are not corrupt and are not misusing and protecting public money, spending it with care and plan and accountability, they are more willing to pay taxes, convinced that they will be used for the public good through public services.
Their conviction then strengthens our conviction that the citizen should be at the center of our policies, while increasing his well-being is the goal of our projects and decisions.
Congratulating you for this organization which enables you to advance your knowledge and practices through the exchange of inter-institutional and inter-state expertise, I wish you good work and success.
Thank you.
Last modified: October 26, 2022