Macedonian Taxpayers Plug in the Numbers

22 Oct 2010 / 07:56

The threat of large fines seems to be having an effect on historically unwilling taxpayers in Macedonia, as the number of residents filing taxes has jumped by tens of thousands in the past several years.
Sinisa-Jakov Marusic
Last year, 150,000 people submitted the forms, which is a dramatic increase since 2004, when only 10,000 people filed annual income tax forms, according to recently released figures by the Public Revenue Office.

“It is amazing to see how now all of a sudden everyone I work with is careful to meet the March deadline [for submitting income tax forms]. I think the people are scared they will get fined. I know I am,” 33-year-old Vladimir Stajicic, an IT expert, told Balkan Insight.

“This year I will submit my form a bit earlier because as the deadline approaches the revenue office gets swarmed with taxpayers who want to file at the last minute,” Stajicic said.

The more than 44,000 people who failed to submit their tax forms on time last year now face fines of 500 to 1000 euros, a considerable sum in a country where the average salary is just EUR 250.

Vesna Novakovic, the spokesperson for the Public Revenue Office, toned down the threat of fines: “The penalties are not our favorite option nor our first choice, we always go with warnings and education first.”

Warning and education didn’t work for a 42–year-old car salesmen who wished to remain anonymous: “The authorities have never been stricter. Last year I had to pay some EUR 500 to the Revenue Office for not submitting the form on time and on top of that I had to pay an unrealistic sum for taxes.”

The increased number of filers has had an impact. In 2004 the overall revenue from taxes was some EUR 750 million. In 2009, the amount pouring into the state budget was almost EUR 1 billion.

balkaninsight

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonian-tax-payers-change-habbits