Food waste is a global problem of enormous proportions, and as such, it is deeply rooted in our country. According to a report by the United Nations (UN) Environment Program, 273.269 tons of food end up in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) waste annually.
Poverty growth
While the amount of food that ends up in landfills is growing, on the other hand, the number of those who barely survive (often thanks to a free meal from soupkitchens or a piece of bread from a container) is increasing.
The soup kitchen “Stari Grad” has 660 users, and, as they say, any help is of great importance to them.
”A liter of oil, a bag of pasta, all the food we get is used to the maximum and it means everything to us. We welcome any donation. The most important thing is that it has a valid date on the label, ” said Admir Radeljas, the manager of this soup kitchen.
Statistics show that more than half a million people in BiH are below the relative poverty line. Although the survey has not been conducted since 2015, a World Bank assessment indicates that poverty is on the rise.
Svetlana Cenic, an economic expert and civil activist, reminded of the long-standing idea of forming food banks, which, unfortunately, never came to life. The main activity of these organizations is to collect foodstuffs and distribute them to the most vulnerable categories of the population.
It is possible to save someone
As she added, the proposal for amendments to the Law on Indirect Taxation should be included urgently, so that donations are exempt from VAT.
”You’re saving someone’s life. The state has a very bad policy when it comes to the socially endangered. That budget targeting for the funds to really reach the socially endangered, and on the other hand, let’s tax it now, is not the right decision, ” Cenic pointed out.
Payment of VAT
Large shopping malls or restaurants, if they want to donate food to soup kitchens, must pay VAT of 17 percent of the value of the donation. Many experts state that this is the leading reason why so much food ends up in a waste or burned. But, the fact that they have facilities when importing the same goods is not discussed.
”Persons in the VAT system who donate certain goods have the right to deduct input VAT during the procurement or production of those goods, ” it was explained by the Indirect Taxation Authority.
E.Dz.
