The Management Board of the Indirect Taxation Administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ITA BiH) has not reached an agreement on the opening of the newly built border crossing over the bridge on the Sava, although this topic is being discussed for the fifth time.
The Minister of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina and member of the Board of Directors of the ITA BiH, Srđan Amidžić, stated that the reasons for not reaching an agreement are of a political nature, accusing some representatives from the Federation of BiH of blocking the decision.
He stated that citizens and the economy suffer as a result, especially transporters who waste time waiting at the borders, and pointed out that the new crossing would significantly relieve the existing one.
“The capacity of the newly built border crossing is five times higher than the existing one, and the crowds would be reduced by at least two thirds,” said Amidžić.
A similar position was expressed by the Minister of Finance of the Republika Srpska, Zora Vidović, who judged it unacceptable for decisions to be blocked for political reasons.
“This is extremely unfair to all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Vidović, adding that the reasons for the blockade, according to her, are clearly political.
On the other hand, member of the Management Board of ITA BiH Zijad Krnjić rejected these claims, stressing that political reasons are not the cause of his position. Krnjić emphasized that the sessions of the Management Board are not held regularly, and that there are a number of unresolved issues, including the distribution of income from indirect taxes.
“Currently, according to the calculation for the year 2025, Republika Srpska owes the Federation of BiH more than 151 million BAM, and this is not being discussed at all,” said Krnjić.
He added that it is necessary to resolve other open issues, such as amendments to the law on VAT and excise taxes, before making decisions on new infrastructure projects.
He pointed out that, after obtaining additional data on traffic at the Gradiška border crossing, it will be possible to schedule a new session and make decisions.
Due to the lack of an agreement, citizens and businessmen continue to face hours-long waits at the borders, while the solution to this issue remains uncertain.
