Today, the Council of Ministers approved the normative act on the refund of tax on profits paid in advance by professionals. This was announced by Finance Minister Petrit Malaj in a statement to the media after the Cabinet meeting.
According to Minister Malaj, the adoption of this normative act will benefit about 6,450 taxpayers, who will be reimbursed from a fund of 501 million ALL. The General Directorate of Taxes will supervise the implementation of the refund procedure, which is expected to be completed by December 31, 2024.
In his remarks, the Minister emphasized that the Albanian government has always been committed to returning these funds to independent entrepreneurs.
“In accordance with the law, the Ministry of Finance referred the case to the Constitutional Court for clarification and guidance on how to proceed with the return of these funds. The Constitutional Court implied that the consequences of this law were legal without making a decision. Nevertheless, the Albanian government made the decision and ensured that the money was returned to independent contractors through this normative legislation. However, freelancers were exempted from any future obligations that may have arisen during the implementation of the law,” Malaj said.
Responding to a media question on whether a new tax plan for independent contractors is being considered, the finance minister said that the Albanian government will evaluate all existing exemptions or lower tax rates in the light of the forthcoming approval of the Medium-Term Revenue Strategy and in cooperation with foreign partners. Decisions on the continuation of certain exemptions or their revision will be influenced by this evaluation.