VAT, excise duties, prices increase

sounds good ecoman, except when you need to call the police, fire department, ambulance, send your kids to school, use the roads, use public transit, turn on your lights.

From now on, buy as much as you can from seljaks on selos. Avoid anything that may have a VAT attached. I have stopped buying stuff, and refuse to do it. Why should the average citizen have to pay for the failure, corruption, greed, and mismanagement of politicians. It is true in most of the free world, but people should simply stop buying things - and f off, governments. You have failed miserably around the world, now you want to rescue yourselves on the backs of the working citizens. NO!

From now on, buy as much as you can from seljaks on selos. Avoid anything that may have a VAT attached.
(ecoman, 1 October 2012 16:30)

If you want your own Greek economic desaster, that would be the primary way to do it. Having an extraordinary amount of tax evasion is one of the main reasons why many countries are economically sluggish or even in a recession/depression. You won't counter corruption either, as you claimed, since tax evasion is more or less corruption and basically crime. Haven't you been seeing the Insajder report how Kosovo Serbs benefit from that? That's what you get in return. You just decrease the state budget, while still having the maggots eating up the small earnings.

The VAT increase is painful for low income people, especially families, but it is one way to counter the increasing deficit. However, it won't change Serbia's structural problems, nor will those requested additional debts.

Serbia has mountains of problems, but is primarily concentrated to brabble of Kosovo. Now you see what it brings you. More taxes for a failed policy. But yeah, Nikolic is not in a rush to change that. His chair/share is safe.

Danilo, I did not say that VAT increase is the best way to counter rampant debt increase. I just stated it is one way to counter it. But I admit that I have my doubts that it will work.

Ecoman, I know about Serbia well enough to say that Kosovo is no topic at all for the every day's life. That however is something what Serbian politicians did not notice yet. Just cross read the news over the last 7 days in B92 only and you will see that Kosovo is omnipresent there. This is exactly my point. Belgrade made Serbia hostage to a one-subject comedy show, while failing to counter the real problems. The fact that public debt increase is still skyrocketing, is the very proof of it. And when I read that more debt request are on the way, unemployement rampant, inflation increasing, etc. I'm wondering what exactly must happen until the people in Serbia see that they are literally sold for absolutely nothing. Just compare it with Bulgaria. Bulgaria has one of the highest foreign direct investments from West and(!)East, low public debt (22%), low inflation, the strongest currency in the Balkans, controllable unemployment, booming tourism, etc. Short, a successful story. Serbia could easily share that, if - and this is a big if - Serbia would start to shackle the problems of the past off and concentrate only to the people's well-being.

However, I don't see that happen any time soon and I simply point that out. The VAT increase should make you think. It is a warning shot.

Personally, I see this increase as a necessity to get us out of the mess the sell-out DS government created. Instead of constantly taking out loans to support the public sector, we need to start paying for it ourselves. This is a good first step but there are bolder moves to be made. I see this as modernisation of what is currently and inefficient public sector.

Seriously, we don't need some old-school communist types sitting in an office all day doing nothing and when someone arrives (meaning they have to do work), they take out their cigarette and get all moody.

Further to your comments, Commentator, the increase in VAT is necessitated by the broken way Serbia tries to collect income tax. If Serbia lowered it's income taxes and incentivized companies to legalize their "grey" employees, the state would collect more income tax.

Serbia has mountains of problems, but is primarily concentrated to brabble of Kosovo - Commentator
Commentator, seems like all topics with you "Kosova" cheerleaders are based on KiM, and nothing else. Trust me, there is a lot more going on in Serbia besides what is going on in KiM. In fact, I seldom, if ever, hear anyone here in Serbia talking about KiM. Serbs want to hold on to their ancestral land in KiM, but it is not our main topic of concern by a long shot. I am not sure what you base your info on, but you are wrong. Do you live in Serbia, Commentator, so that you would actually know, or are you just blowing smoke out your butt, trying to sound intelligent?

Serbia has mountains of problems, but is primarily concentrated to brabble of Kosovo - Commentator
Commentator, seems like all topics with you "Kosova" cheerleaders are based on KiM, and nothing else. Trust me, there is a lot more going on in Serbia besides what is going on in KiM. In fact, I seldom, if ever, hear anyone here in Serbia talking about KiM. Serbs want to hold on to their ancestral land in KiM, but it is not our main topic of concern by a long shot. I am not sure what you base your info on, but you are wrong. Do you live in Serbia, Commentator, so that you would actually know, or are you just blowing smoke out your butt, trying to sound intelligent?

From now on, buy as much as you can from seljaks on selos. Avoid anything that may have a VAT attached. I have stopped buying stuff, and refuse to do it. Why should the average citizen have to pay for the failure, corruption, greed, and mismanagement of politicians. It is true in most of the free world, but people should simply stop buying things - and f off, governments. You have failed miserably around the world, now you want to rescue yourselves on the backs of the working citizens. NO!

sounds good ecoman, except when you need to call the police, fire department, ambulance, send your kids to school, use the roads, use public transit, turn on your lights.

Personally, I see this increase as a necessity to get us out of the mess the sell-out DS government created. Instead of constantly taking out loans to support the public sector, we need to start paying for it ourselves. This is a good first step but there are bolder moves to be made. I see this as modernisation of what is currently and inefficient public sector.

Seriously, we don't need some old-school communist types sitting in an office all day doing nothing and when someone arrives (meaning they have to do work), they take out their cigarette and get all moody.

From now on, buy as much as you can from seljaks on selos. Avoid anything that may have a VAT attached.
(ecoman, 1 October 2012 16:30)

If you want your own Greek economic desaster, that would be the primary way to do it. Having an extraordinary amount of tax evasion is one of the main reasons why many countries are economically sluggish or even in a recession/depression. You won't counter corruption either, as you claimed, since tax evasion is more or less corruption and basically crime. Haven't you been seeing the Insajder report how Kosovo Serbs benefit from that? That's what you get in return. You just decrease the state budget, while still having the maggots eating up the small earnings.

The VAT increase is painful for low income people, especially families, but it is one way to counter the increasing deficit. However, it won't change Serbia's structural problems, nor will those requested additional debts.

Serbia has mountains of problems, but is primarily concentrated to brabble of Kosovo. Now you see what it brings you. More taxes for a failed policy. But yeah, Nikolic is not in a rush to change that. His chair/share is safe.

Danilo, I did not say that VAT increase is the best way to counter rampant debt increase. I just stated it is one way to counter it. But I admit that I have my doubts that it will work.

Ecoman, I know about Serbia well enough to say that Kosovo is no topic at all for the every day's life. That however is something what Serbian politicians did not notice yet. Just cross read the news over the last 7 days in B92 only and you will see that Kosovo is omnipresent there. This is exactly my point. Belgrade made Serbia hostage to a one-subject comedy show, while failing to counter the real problems. The fact that public debt increase is still skyrocketing, is the very proof of it. And when I read that more debt request are on the way, unemployement rampant, inflation increasing, etc. I'm wondering what exactly must happen until the people in Serbia see that they are literally sold for absolutely nothing. Just compare it with Bulgaria. Bulgaria has one of the highest foreign direct investments from West and(!)East, low public debt (22%), low inflation, the strongest currency in the Balkans, controllable unemployment, booming tourism, etc. Short, a successful story. Serbia could easily share that, if - and this is a big if - Serbia would start to shackle the problems of the past off and concentrate only to the people's well-being.

However, I don't see that happen any time soon and I simply point that out. The VAT increase should make you think. It is a warning shot.

Further to your comments, Commentator, the increase in VAT is necessitated by the broken way Serbia tries to collect income tax. If Serbia lowered it's income taxes and incentivized companies to legalize their "grey" employees, the state would collect more income tax.