Taxi drivers, transport companies block streets

Belgrade and 19 other cities in Serbia are facing a traffic collapse today due to strikes staged by taxi drivers and transport companies. Several hundred of them are protesting in Belgrade against the introduction of fiscal cash registers to their businesses. Taxi drivers, transport companies block streets Belgrade's taxi drivers and transport companies first organized a protest march from four points toward the government headquarters in Nemanjina St. Traffic is currently blocked in that street up to Slavija Sq. in both directions, while vehicles from transport companies are circling the city streets and the highway. The protesters are unsatisfied with the obligation to introduce fiscal cash registers starting from January 1, 2010. Since they did not reach an agreement at the meeting held last night with the Minister of Trade Slobodan Milosavljevic, the taxi drivers decided to go through with the protest. Beside their demand to postpone the fiscal regulation for two years, they are also requesting removal of unregistered taxi drivers from the streets, determining a minimal price of taxi transportation and introducing order in this area of transportation. The taxi drivers are also demanding that they buy all types of eco-friendly fuels for lower prices, and are asking for amendments of those rules regarding the introduction of travel orders, and want their union members assigned to a work group on the Traffic Safety Law. The protesters were adamant this morning that they would not give up on their demands. Similar protest will be organized in 19 towns in Serbia: Nis, Kragujevac, Cacak, Vranje, Smederevo, Sabac, Loznica, Pozarevac, Ivanjica, Sremska Mitrovica, Zrenjanin, Kraljevo, Uzice, Kikinda, Novi Pazar, Smederevska Palanka, Novi Sad, Krusevac and Leskovac. “Any possible problems that the taxi drivers are talking about, such as that the traffic would be interrupted as they issue fiscal receipt (to their customers), the daily visits to the bank, are completely unjustified,” Zoran Vasic of the Tax Administration told B92. “Citizens have been listening to the same complaints from everybody when fiscal cash registers were first introduced," he said, and added that "the system is working perfectly". "Everybody is making up reasons why they should not be doing something. The Tax Administration must act according to the law – mainly because not all legal transactions are recorded and instead they are left in the ‘grey zone’,” Vasic concluded. The protest today (Beta)

Taxi drivers, transport companies block streets

Belgrade's taxi drivers and transport companies first organized a protest march from four points toward the government headquarters in Nemanjina St.

Traffic is currently blocked in that street up to Slavija Sq. in both directions, while vehicles from transport companies are circling the city streets and the highway.

The protesters are unsatisfied with the obligation to introduce fiscal cash registers starting from January 1, 2010.

Since they did not reach an agreement at the meeting held last night with the Minister of Trade Slobodan Milosavljević, the taxi drivers decided to go through with the protest.

Beside their demand to postpone the fiscal regulation for two years, they are also requesting removal of unregistered taxi drivers from the streets, determining a minimal price of taxi transportation and introducing order in this area of transportation.

The taxi drivers are also demanding that they buy all types of eco-friendly fuels for lower prices, and are asking for amendments of those rules regarding the introduction of travel orders, and want their union members assigned to a work group on the Traffic Safety Law.

The protesters were adamant this morning that they would not give up on their demands.

Similar protest will be organized in 19 towns in Serbia: Niš, Kragujevac, Čačak, Vranje, Smederevo, Šabac, Loznica, Požarevac, Ivanjica, Sremska Mitrovica, Zrenjanin, Kraljevo, Užice, Kikinda, Novi Pazar, Smederevska Palanka, Novi Sad, Kruševac and Leskovac.

“Any possible problems that the taxi drivers are talking about, such as that the traffic would be interrupted as they issue fiscal receipt (to their customers), the daily visits to the bank, are completely unjustified,” Zoran Vasić of the Tax Administration told B92.

“Citizens have been listening to the same complaints from everybody when fiscal cash registers were first introduced," he said, and added that "the system is working perfectly".

"Everybody is making up reasons why they should not be doing something. The Tax Administration must act according to the law – mainly because not all legal transactions are recorded and instead they are left in the ‘grey zone’,” Vasić concluded.