While appearing before the Committee on Economy, Employment and Finance, Malaj addressed questions from members of the Parliament regarding the fiscal package and assured that there would be enhanced monitoring of food product prices.

He emphasized that technology is also being utilized to track prices—from the producer and importer through to the retail market—to ensure that the VAT reduction is properly reflected in the final prices.

“The increase in the standard VAT rate is intended to offset the VAT reduction we are implementing for essential food items, though it does not cover the full amount. Raising the standard VAT to 21% will generate 10.6 billion lekë for the budget, while the reduction in VAT on food products represents a loss of 12.8 billion lekë,” Malaj said.

Further on, Malaj noted that the government is preparing amendments to the law on local taxes to introduce an additional tax on vacant apartments in Tirana. The measure is expected to affect approximately 40,000 properties and aims to curb informality in the rental market.

“We will also introduce a tax on vacant apartments within the law on local taxes; owners will be required to either declare the property as being used for short-term rentals or declare it as vacant and pay the property tax. We are currently working on several mechanisms,” said Malaj.

To identify undeclared income, the Ministry of Finance is also working to obtain data from platforms such as Airbnb and Booking, as well as to secure the automatic receipt of information from the banks.

“We will request automatic information from the banks regarding income received from these platforms—and beyond, including from Instagram, Facebook, etc. Once we receive this data from the banks, we will be able to cross-reference the income earned by these individuals,” Malaj stated.

While the Democratic Party (DP) raised concerns that sports betting remains informal and fails to generate revenue for the state budget, Malaj noted that the launch of online betting will await a further revision of the law, intended to strengthen oversight and prevent social issues. /m.m/r.e/a.f/p.s./

According to data published today by the tax administration, in just six months, the asset revaluation has provided significant tax relief for both individuals and businesses.

The Tax Administration views this as tangible fiscal relief designed to lower the taxpayer burden and deliver direct benefits.

Property revaluation lets taxpayers update the official value of their real estate, which changes the amount of tax they owe on it.

The Tax Administration continues to simplify its services and introduce taxpayer-friendly initiatives to better support citizens and businesses.

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As online business grows, the Tax Administration is stepping up its monitoring of digital transactions. “We ask all e-commerce and online service providers to follow current tax laws. Complying with these rules helps build a fair, competitive, and formal market,” said the Tax Office.

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In this context, Director General of the Tax Office Ilir Binaj paid a working visit to Prishtina to meet his counterpart Mentor Hyseni, together with the institution’s management staff.

During the meeting, they reviewed strategic priorities to improve tax administration and compliance. Key topics included revenue collection, taxpayer relations, debt management and enforcement practices.

On his part, Hyseni positively assessed the cooperation between the two administrations, emphasizing that the exchange of experiences and professional expertise is essential for addressing common challenges and strengthening institutional capacities.

While Binaj emphasized the need for closer inter-institutional collaboration, focusing on the exchange of best practices and joint action on shared objectives.

Both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to collaborating on joint programs, sharing professional insights and advancing reforms. Together, they aim to boost institutional performance, enhance tax compliance and deliver better services to taxpayers.

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Finance Minister Petrit Malaj announced that Albania has climbed to 48th out of 116 countries in the latest assessment, earning 51.73 points. This marks a major leap from its previous position of 74th. Minister Malaj highlighted this achievement as clear proof of the nation’s ongoing commitment to robust fiscal transparency and better public finance governance.

The Ministry of Finance attributes this index improvement to enhanced fiscal transparency, better tax expenditure reporting, and stronger public finance management. This milestone underscores the success of ongoing fiscal reforms and highlights the government’s commitment to public accountability.

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The initiative proposed cutting the fuel circulation tax by 20 lekë per liter—returning it to 2013 levels—to lower consumer prices. Proponents argue this measure will help families and businesses manage rising costs driven by international instability and Middle East tensions.

During the discussions in the committee, Bozdo argued that Albania is among the countries with the highest increase in fuel prices, while emphasizing that intervention in the circulation tax would bring immediate relief to citizens. He also proposed other interventions, such as the use of reserves to stabilize the market.

However, majority MPs raised concerns about the impact such a measure would have on budget revenues and fiscal balances.

MP Brunilda Çakerri said that revenues from this circulation tax amount to around 37 billion lekë per year and constitute an important source for financing infrastructure and public spending.

On their part, the representatives of the Ministry of Finance stressed that the government is currently working within the framework of fiscal reforms and the European integration process, where any change in tax policies is being reviewed in cooperation with the European Union.

Also, the committee chair Milva Ekonomi stressed the need for caution in fiscal interventions, referring to the recommendations of international institutions for maintaining financial stability in the context of global crises.

In the end, the Committee decided to reject the draft law, leaving open the possibility that such issues could be addressed in future fiscal packages. /e.xh/j.p/p.s./

During an interview, the minister said that, “The government is also cutting the excise tax by 20%, down from 39.6 lekë.”

She announced the immediate passage of these two acts by the Council of Ministers.

“Our current fuel pricing model is calculated by adding a fixed margin of 3 Lek/liter (wholesale) or 12 Lek/liter (retail) to the Platts price, inclusive of applicable taxes.

Through this mechanism, we aim at price control and no abuse, said the minister.

The minister noted that a government task force monitoring prices since the Middle East conflict began found no evidence of speculation. While international costs surged by 80%, local prices rose by only 24%, indicating stable domestic management.

“The profit margin of companies is around 8-9%, acceptable considering the costs of doing business,” said the minister.

Minister Ibrahimaj also stressed that there is work underway to establish a public entity to ensure mandatory fuel reserves.

According to her, the draft law is ready for public consultation.

The minister noted that so far there has been no increase in food prices and that in case of their increase, the government will intervene with support packages for categories in need and pensioners.

Retail oil prices reached 214 Lekë per liter today. /ri/p.s./

During a meeting with oil suppliers, attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Enea Karakaçi and Minister of Finance Petrit Malaj, Ibrahimaj said that the primary challenge centered on maintaining sufficient compulsory reserves.

“There was concern following blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. However, we have concluded that there are sufficient compulsory reserves. Also, the supply channels guarantee non-stop supply because traders have long-term contracts that are not related to the Strait of Hormuz”, said Ibrahimaj.

Minister Ibrahimaj added that the second concern is related to prices, emphasizing that the price situation is being analyzed so that to guarantee that there will be no abuses, both in the fuel and food markets.

“While in the world there has been recorded a 40% price increase, the prices in Albania have not increased more than 10–15%”, said Ibrahimaj, focusing on the experiences of previous crises related to prices that led to the creation of the Transparency Board.

“We believe that we are not yet in a situation to establish that board. But, if we see fluctuations and abuses, then we will intervene because our goal is to protect the consumer”, she emphasized.

Ibrahimaj added that the proposals of the hydrocarbon associations regarding the situation have been to change the tax structure.

Minister Ibrahimaj underlined that, “With the current rate of price increases, we are not in a position to intervene in the level of taxation”. /p.s./

Within the framework of this plan, the Tax Administration announced today that it has gathered data obtained from various sources.

These sources are used for in-depth risk analysis, with the aim of identifying discrepancies, deviations from reference indicators and behaviors that signal tax evasion.

The Tax Administration called on taxpayers in this sector to correctly and timely fulfill their legal obligations, especially for the declaration of employees, the real declaration of salaries in accordance with the profession and labor market conditions, as well as the issuance of fiscalized invoices for each sale or transaction, including prepayments. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./

The inspections will be carried out mainly in businesses assessed at risk for under declaration of wages, which have been previously notified by the Tax Administration, but have not reflected changes in the payroll, despite the electronic notification sent to their accounts in the tax system, e-Filing.

The focus of the inspections will be the verification of wages declared in the payroll, by comparing them with the indicative salaries by the respective professions, a list transmitted to the electronic accounts of taxpayers, as well as published on the official website of the Tax Administration.

The Tax Administration warned that any taxpayer who declares salaries below the indicative salary level, or who changes the profession of employees in order to avoid the real declaration of salaries, thereby jeopardizing the payment of social contributions and pensions, will be considered at risk and as such will be subject to control by specialized structures of the Tax Administration.

The Tax Administration also called on all taxpayers to take the necessary legal measures for the accurate declaration of employees’ salaries, in order to avoid administrative and legal measures. /j.p/p.s./