DESPOTOVSKI: THE NEW “STRATEGY” FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENTS OF THE OPPOSITION CAUSES DAMAGE TO MACEDONIAN CITIZENS

DESPOTOVSKI: THE NEW “STRATEGY” FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENTS OF THE OPPOSITION CAUSES DAMAGE TO MACEDONIAN CITIZENS

“It honestly surprises me how a serious political party is not aware of the commitment that the state took two years ago to the OECD, with which we join a large group of countries, modern market economies that have an agreement that the global profit tax amounts to 15%. In translation, this means that we can give foreign companies here to pay a profit tax of 5%, but they will have to pay the rest in their home country. From the point of view of the investors there is no benefit. In other words, according to the “strategy” of VMRO DPMNE, our country should “get” into the pocket, that is, into the budget of countries like the USA or one of the European countries that are our strategic partners.

This is extremely wrong and irresponsible and directly affects bilateral relations. At the same time, it means less money in the budget of the state and the citizens, because the existing investors will also pay less than now”, said Jovan Despotovski, director of TIDZ in an interview for the central MTV daily as a comment on the pre-election announcement of VMRO DPMNE for lower taxes for foreign companies that will transfer their profit centers to the country.

According to Despotovski, it is precisely the Western allies that bring the biggest foreign investors to N. Macedonia, and the positive effects for citizens in recent years are clearly visible and measurable.

“We no longer communicate that Macedonia is a country of cheap labor.” Our message is clear that the work of the workers must be paid, so we have wage growth from there. If in 2016 the average salary was around MKD 19,000, this year we expect an average net salary of over MKD 40,000, which is more than double in just six years. The number of workers in the zones rose to almost 18,000, which is two and a half times more compared to 6,500 in 2016. “Also, if in 2016 we had 650 million euros in investments, now we are at 2 billion in investment agreements,” said Despotovski. He added that we have a continuous growth of payments to the budget from companies, which this year is expected to be around 70 million euros, which is seven times more compared to the period six years ago.

Despotovski also pointed out that TIDZ is making efforts for the entry of two Macedonian companies into the zones, but that the problem is that “we have institutions that still adhere to the policies established 15 years ago, which have a harmful effect on the economy, and we are actively working to change”.