16th December 2020, Skopje – Ensuring increased fairness of taxation, improved revenue collection, tax system to stimulate investments and innovations, thus boosting the economic growth, improved tax accountability (rising awareness for the need to pay taxes), increased tax transparency, better quality of services, digitalization and green taxation, are the priorities set in the five-year Tax System Reform Strategy. Public consultations were held today at the Ministry of Finance with the institutions, the business sector, the experts and the NGOs, also attended by the Minister of Finance, Fatmir Besimi.
In his address, Minister Besimi pointed out that the COVID-19 crisis brings high level of uncertainty, however, such uncertainty and the risk can be reduced should all possible scenarios be identified and adequate response be prepared therefore.
– Tax System Reform Strategy is an integral part of a broader medium-term policy on accelerated growth. It sets the general guidelines for improvement of public revenue performance and careful designing of the tax burden. In particular, how to attain some of the crucial goals, i.e. reduction of informal economy, reduction of economic inequality, overcoming the difficulties in collecting public revenues, addressing the sophisticated techniques for tax avoidance and evasion, as well as response to the challenges for environmental protection and the new technologies, and creating a tax system supportive of investments and innovations, thus contributing to the economic activity and accelerated growth. Goal of the Strategy, together with the other strategies and policies, is to offer sustainable solutions to these problems, Besimi said.
From the point of view of fairness in taxation, the main focus should be place on the introduction of vertical equity.
In addition, need to raise the awareness of the taxpayers for paying the taxes, as well as the benefits arising therefrom, were also raised during the discussions.
To the end of ensuring increased transparency, activities are envisaged for exchange of information between the tax authorities and other entities, primarily on the basis of e-services. At the same time, quality of services will be also improved by simplifying and accelerating the procedures and reducing the administrative burden. To that end, one of the priorities to be realized is the process digitalization.
During the consultations, it was pointed out that, on the basis of the Strategy, action plans with specific action measures are prepared each year.
