KDI in cooperation with Parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finances of the Assembly of Kosovo and MDA organized a roundtable on 26th of May in city of Gjilan regarding excise taxes on tobacco products and the revitalization of the tobacco industry in Republic Kosovo. In this conference was presented a parliamentary research on this issue, prepared by MDA and supported by KDI.

Some of the participants in this roundtable were Members of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Assembly of Kosovo, the Mayor of Gjilan, Mr. Lutfi Haziri, very large number of tobacco farmers and producers, business representatives and representatives of civil society.

Director of the Premium Tobacco Factory used the opportunity of the roundtable to impart tobacco farmers and producers that the factory is ready to buy all the farmers production, once a preliminary agreement has been reached. The Ministry of Agriculture stated that is in favor of the abolition of excise duty on domestic producers. In the other hand, farmers required removal of excise duty on raw materials (like the Ministry of Agriculture), but they required the holding of excise duty on the import of tobacco in general.

 

This roundtable was highly appreciated by the participants, who thanked KDI for the initiative.