Govt. soon to approve abolition of VAT on baby products

Amendments to the VAT Law, abolishing VAT on baby products, will be adopted by the government in the next ten days, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said Friday. He added that the draft would then be submitted to parliament for approval. Govt. soon to approve abolition of VAT on baby products At a meeting with initiators of the initiative for abolishing VAT and limiting trade margins on baby food and equipment, Cvetkovic said that the amendments would ensure VAT refunds in order to prevent misuse and bring benefits only to people who have children. Serbian government’s Media Office released in a statement that the prime minister and Agriculture and Trade Minister Dusan Petrovic, who also attended the meeting, pointed out that they supported the initiative dubbed "Vote for the Babies." More than 180,000 signatures for abolition of VAT and limitation of trade margins on baby equipment were submitted to the parliament earlier in the day. (Tanjug) Ctizens’ initiative for VAT-free baby products gains support Steering Committee of the campaign "Vote for the Babies!" delivered on Friday to Serbian parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic the petition for reduction of margins and abolition of VAT on baby food and equipment signed by 182,736 citizens. Djukic-Dejanovic said that she was honored to host this delegation and to take part in such a noble cause, adding that the door of the Serbian parliament was always open for the good campaigns and citizens' suggestions. She thanked the citizens on this wonderful initiative, expressing hope that this cooperation between parliament and the citizens should soon result in “making all the strollers full of children as soon as possible". Members of the Steering Committee expressed gratitude to the speaker for supporting this campaign from the very first day, pointing out that this was just one of the campaigns that would try to solve the problems in a systematic way. Djukic-Dejanovic stated that upon receiving this signed petition she was obliged to discuss things with the representatives of all parliamentary parties, and that it would be great satisfaction for her to call on all chiefs of political parties and propose to them to adopt by joint acclamation the proposed amendments of the Law on VAT that the Government should prepare in the course of the next ten days. She expressed hope that they would all take part in the “campaign for our children", even in this pre-election period. After delivering the petition, Cvetkovic received members of the Steering Committee,together with the Petrovic and Finance Ministry State Secretary Dusan Nikezic, and they informed them that the government had already prepared two proposals for resolving the VAT problem. The first proposal includes the reimbursement of the VAT amount for the necessary baby equipment, and it could be very easily implemented. The second solution includes establishing a fund where taxed VAT could be paid, and that fund could help financially all the families with small children. This proposal calls for longer period of preparation, but it could serve as a long-term solution to this problem. According to the prime minister, the government is willing to prepare the proposal of the amendments of the Law on VAT and send it to parliament to be adopted. However, he expressed fear that parliament would not be in session prior to the May elections. “We will most certainly try to circumvent this problem, and in agreement with the chiefs of the parliamentary groups find a solution for this session to take place as this issue exceeds all political divisions, and the consensus we've reached with this campaign should in a way oblige the MPs as citizens' representatives,” the PM explained. Petrovic and Nikezic introduced the members of the Steering Committee with the data their ministries had gathered by analyzing the markets of the baby products, saying that the Serbian government could promptly impose regulation for reducing trade margins, after the consultations with the partners from European Union which would contribute to improving the grave economic situation of the parents in Serbia. However, both of them pointed out that the prices of these products could not be controlled only this way, and that it was necessary to find mechanisms to control allthe aspects of price formation. It is agreed that the government would prepare the proposal to amend the Law on VAT and direct it to parliament for adoption, while their respective ministries will together with the members of the Steering Committee determine the items to which this regulation on margin reduction will be imposed. It is stressed that local manufacturers should be given support in this process, while the members of the Steering Committee have pointed out again that they would continue to make improvements in state and society's attitude toward the children and parents, thus focusing further on finding systemic solutions to the problems parents face with. B92 Tanjug

Govt. soon to approve abolition of VAT on baby products

At a meeting with initiators of the initiative for abolishing VAT and limiting trade margins on baby food and equipment, Cvetković said that the amendments would ensure VAT refunds in order to prevent misuse and bring benefits only to people who have children.

Serbian government’s Media Office released in a statement that the prime minister and Agriculture and Trade Minister Dušan Petrović, who also attended the meeting, pointed out that they supported the initiative dubbed "Vote for the Babies."

More than 180,000 signatures for abolition of VAT and limitation of trade margins on baby equipment were submitted to the parliament earlier in the day.

Ctizens’ initiative for VAT-free baby products gains support

Steering Committee of the campaign "Vote for the Babies!" delivered on Friday to Serbian parliament Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović the petition for reduction of margins and abolition of VAT on baby food and equipment signed by 182,736 citizens.

Đukić-Dejanović said that she was honored to host this delegation and to take part in such a noble cause, adding that the door of the Serbian parliament was always open for the good campaigns and citizens' suggestions. She thanked the citizens on this wonderful initiative, expressing hope that this cooperation between parliament and the citizens should soon result in “making all the strollers full of children as soon as possible".

Members of the Steering Committee expressed gratitude to the speaker for supporting this campaign from the very first day, pointing out that this was just one of the campaigns that would try to solve the problems in a systematic way.

Đukić-Dejanović stated that upon receiving this signed petition she was obliged to discuss things with the representatives of all parliamentary parties, and that it would be great satisfaction for her to call on all chiefs of political parties and propose to them to adopt by joint acclamation the proposed amendments of the Law on VAT that the Government should prepare in the course of the next ten days. She expressed hope that they would all take part in the “campaign for our children", even in this pre-election period.

After delivering the petition, Cvetković received members of the Steering Committee,together with the Petrović and Finance Ministry State Secretary Dušan Nikezić, and they informed them that the government had already prepared two proposals for resolving the VAT problem.

The first proposal includes the reimbursement of the VAT amount for the necessary baby equipment, and it could be very easily implemented.

The second solution includes establishing a fund where taxed VAT could be paid, and that fund could help financially all the families with small children. This proposal calls for longer period of preparation, but it could serve as a long-term solution to this problem.

According to the prime minister, the government is willing to prepare the proposal of the amendments of the Law on VAT and send it to parliament to be adopted.

However, he expressed fear that parliament would not be in session prior to the May elections.

“We will most certainly try to circumvent this problem, and in agreement with the chiefs of the parliamentary groups find a solution for this session to take place as this issue exceeds all political divisions, and the consensus we've reached with this campaign should in a way oblige the MPs as citizens' representatives,” the PM explained.

Petrović and Nikezić introduced the members of the Steering Committee with the data their ministries had gathered by analyzing the markets of the baby products, saying that the Serbian government could promptly impose regulation for reducing trade margins, after the consultations with the partners from European Union which would contribute to improving the grave economic situation of the parents in Serbia.

However, both of them pointed out that the prices of these products could not be controlled only this way, and that it was necessary to find mechanisms to control allthe aspects of price formation.

It is agreed that the government would prepare the proposal to amend the Law on VAT and direct it to parliament for adoption, while their respective ministries will together with the members of the Steering Committee determine the items to which this regulation on margin reduction will be imposed. It is stressed that local manufacturers should be given support in this process, while the members of the Steering Committee have pointed out again that they would continue to make improvements in state and society's attitude toward the children and parents, thus focusing further on finding systemic solutions to the problems parents face with.