Since the outgoing Pristina government introduced a 100% tariff on November 21st last year, factories from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have sold products worth 6 million EUR to Kosovo and Metohija, which is, according to the so-called customs record of Kosovo, 99% less than the placement of goods in the year before the introduction of the taxes.
Pristina claims that the products from BiH and Serbia have been quickly replaced by imports from other countries from the region and the European Union (EU), and factories from the two countries report losses since the tax introduction.
The Director-General of the Kosovo customs Bahri Berisa told media from Pristina that imports of products from central Serbia and BiH have declined by 99%.
‘’We have small imports. Within a year of applying the taxes, imports from the two countries amount to 6-7 million EUR. These are products that are imported in small quantities. We had about 440 million EUR in imports until protection measures were in place. That amounts to about 99% less imports from the two countries,’’ Berisa says.
Before the taxes introduction, most goods that came to Kosovo and Metohija were from central Serbia. Serbian companies placed goods to Kosovo and Metohija worth 1.2 million EUR per day, and more than 360 million EUR per year until November 21st, 2018.
On November 6th last year, the outgoing Pristina government first introduced 10% taxes on products originating in central Serbia and BiH, but raised the taxes to 100% 15 days later.
Since that time, the value of products imported from central Serbia to Kosovo amounts to 4 million EUR, and from BiH to 2 million EUR.
At the same time, the placement of products from Kosovo and Metohija on the central Serbia market amounted to 13 million EUR, and for BiH 5 million EUR, ekapija reports.
