In the account of the Administration for Indirect Taxation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ITA BiH), unused 245 million marks collected on the basis of tolls for the construction of highways lie. During that time, the competent companies take on debt for the construction of traffic infrastructure, and the money loses its value. Even at the last session of the Management Board of ITA BiH, there was no willingness to put this item on the agenda.
While the construction of highways is most often financed by loans on which interest is paid, the ITA sub-account contains unused 245 million BAM in toll revenue. It is about part of the funds that are left in the sub-account of the Administration until the board of directors adopts the final methodology for the distribution of toll funds.
“Since February 2018, a temporary decision on the distribution of tolls has been in force, according to the coefficient of 59% FBiH, 39% RS and 2% Brčko District, while 10% of the funds are collected every day and left on that special budget and from these funds will settlement will be made when the Management Board adopts the final methodology for the distribution of toll revenue. With the condition that from 2018 until today, the final methodology for the distribution of toll revenue has not been adopted, 245 million BAM has been accumulated in a special sub-account.”, says Ratko Kovacevic, the Head of the Information Service of the ITA BiH.
In ‘Autoputevi Republika Srpska’, they say that they have repeatedly appealed to the authorities to distribute these funds. Money loses its value, especially due to inflation, and they calculated that it could be used to build about 15 kilometers of highway.
“According to some of our calculations, about 70 million BAM would belong to the Highways of the RS. We also appealed to determine the undisputed part and to distribute the undisputed part because that money is necessary for both us and the Highways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have certain projects,” says Nedeljko Coric, director of JP “Autoputevi RS”.
“This retained accumulated amount of income from 2017 has not been remitted. As a consequence of the above, the same has affected the liquidity of JP Autoceste FBiH, and it is currently unable to properly settle its obligations to international creditors, i.e. to the Federal Ministry of Finance. We note that the obligations to creditors are properly settled by the Government of the FBIH, that is, the Federal Ministry of Finance”, said JP “Autoceste FBiH”.
Even at the last meeting of the Board of Directors, no distribution was agreed upon. The Minister of Finance of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Srđan Amidžić, says that he will continue to insist that this issue be put on the agenda.
“We have 250 million BAM when it comes to the ITA, 250 million when it comes to Elektroprenos, 75 million excess income over the expenses paid by RAK, 125 million excess capital income that are on the accounts,” said Amidžić.
And while the question of distribution of income from indirect taxes is mostly political, Saša Grabovac from the Association of Economists of the RS “SWOT” warns that waiting for distribution due to inflation, we are losing kilometers of highways.
“These are tens of millions of marks that have been irretrievably lost in some way. If before you could build 50 kilometers of road, now you can build 40, to put it figuratively. So the damages are enormous,” notes Grabovac.
In addition to the losses caused by inflation, an additional problem is that the Indirect Tax Administration, while the money is in their account, has to pay a commission to the Central Bank. On that basis alone, in the last 8 years, they paid 276 thousand BAM in commission.
