The President of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KKC), Lulzim Rafuna, has expressed the concern of the business community regarding the draft regulation of the Municipality of Pristina on municipal fees, charges and fines, saying that every new tax for businesses translates into additional costs that are ultimately passed on to citizens.
The Municipality of Pristina has issued for public consultation the Draft Regulation on amending and supplementing the Regulation on Municipal Fees, Charges and Fines. It foresees changes in the way businesses are taxed, by determining annual fees according to the type of economic activity.
The KCC Chairman said that there is still uncertainty about how to implement some of the proposed measures and requested additional clarification from the municipality before approving the regulation.
"It is unclear to us, because according to public statements, as far as we have been able to see, the tax is said to be imposed only on vehicles, but not on machinery or work tools. For this reason, I am probably unclear. Second, if any tax is imposed, the imposition of any tax is an extra cost for the business. And undoubtedly, as I said, it is passed on to the consumer because it increases the price. So again, we call on municipal officials to have another meeting as soon as possible, before this regulation is put to a vote, before it is finalized, in order to clarify even more how it will be implemented," Rafuna declared to Ekonomia Online.
Rafuna stated that, in addition to the content of the measures, the timing of their implementation is also important.
also
The Chamber of Commerce requests the Municipality of Pristina to review the Draft Regulation on tariffs
"Look, we also need to see the momentum. Sometimes the decisions are very right, very good, but we need to know when is the best momentum to put them into effect and start applying them. So, I believe that the municipal officials have also evaluated this issue and the date of entry into force, or the month, or the year, I believe that it will be reviewed again," he said.
The draft includes various categories of businesses, including the construction sector, trade, hospitality, private healthcare, private education, banking, telecommunications, and professional services, with separate tariffs for each activity.
However, according to him, among the sectors that could be most affected are transport and construction, due to their operation in the territory of Pristina with vehicles and machinery registered in other municipalities.
"We expect that, when the public discussion is closed, we will have municipal officials in a meeting to discuss, but we will also discuss it with our businesses internally, with associations in particular, these will affect the transport association more, whether it is goods or passengers, but also the construction association, when it is known that they circulate during the day and have trucks, they have machinery that they have registered in other municipalities. And they operate in Pristina, so we need to see what are the possibilities for businesses not to be charged with this tax", declared Rafuna.
Public consultation for The Draft Regulation on amending and supplementing the Regulation on municipal fees, charges and fines began on May 13, 2026 and will last until June 24, 2026.
The document also provides for exemption from municipal tax for new businesses during the first year of registration, as well as a 50 percent reduction for businesses owned by women and girls during the first two years of operation. According to the draft, businesses with more than one business unit will also be taxed for their units, while businesses headquartered outside of Pristina, but operating in the capital, will be subject to the payment of municipal fees for units operating in Pristina.
also
Rama is asked to withdraw the 10-euro tax for non-Pristina residents
The draft regulation also includes the imposition of an accommodation tax of 1 euro per person for each night of stay in accommodation facilities, as well as the obligation of operators to collect, report and transfer this tax to the municipality.
The document also contains provisions on billing, payment, complaints and collection procedures for municipal duties, as well as transitional provisions for the gradual implementation of new tariffs.
