The controversial fiscal amnesty proposed by the Albanian government continues to simmer as Prime Minister Edi Rama doubled down on it, while Finance Minister Delina Ibrahimaj said it is still under public consultation and is being revised.
Under the proposal, any foreign citizen or Albanian can deposit up to €2 million in non-declared money into the Albanian banking system while enjoying complete legal immunity and a 5-10% tax. A previous version of the law was slammed by the IMF and EU, while this version has been subject to tense discussions between the government, the EU, and various diplomatic missions in Tirana.
Last week, Rama was absent from a meeting between ambassadors of the EU, USA, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Italy, and the UK, which saw the EU Delegation in Tirana call again for it to be revised.
“The European Union has serious concerns about the current draft law on fiscal amnesty. We will continue the consultations with the relevant government structures to review this legislation,” they said.
Meanwhile, Rama said he would not withdraw from the initiative and called the objections of others “misunderstandings.”
“We have not withdrawn, but we are continuing to discuss, and we are continuing to listen to clear up all misunderstandings,” he said.
“We are persistent, yes, and patient to clean all those corners from any kind of dust or optical illusion that there is dust there, and then everyone will have their conviction,” he said, adding that he represented the Albanians and not anyone else.
In terms of the strong opposition from internationals, he said, “You are crying about how upset the EU will be or how upset America will be? What are you crying about? They have their affairs in order”.
Rama said one could not prejudice the hundreds of thousands of Albanian immigrants who have worked illegally and cannot bring money to Albania for only 1 per cent of them who have been involved in crimes.
But on Monday, Ibrahimaj said the law is not yet ready, and the entire draft is being revised regarding reservations from the EU.
“Fiscal amnesty is a process that started again in the spring; we worked on improving the draft prepared by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice, which originally dates to 2020; we are still in the consultation phase,” she said, adding that technical discussions are ongoing, taking into account recommendations from external bodies.
“I still don’t have an answer about when the draft will be finalised. We are looking at the technical elements and the drafting of by-laws so that before the law is approved, there is clarity for the elements of how it will be implemented; it is a work in progress that does not yet have a date for approval,” she added.
