TIDZ REACTION: THE PROPOSAL OF VMRO – DPMNE TO CUT CAPITAL INVESTMENTS IS HARMFUL
The Directorate for Technological Industrial Development Zones considers the proposal of the vice president of VMRO – DPMNE Aleksandar Nikolovski to cut capital investments to be harmful. Especially since this proposal comes at a time of increased need for support for the economy, and capital investments are an important instrument for such support.
In the interest of objectively informing the public, we also respond to the general claims made by the same official regarding the operation of TIDZ.
Namely, only in TIDZ, in the past two years, capital investments worth more than 1.2 billion denars were started and completed, which is significantly more than the annual average of 300 million denars until 2020. This is primary evidence that Nikolovski’s party position is general and does not correspond to reality. In addition, these funds are intended for the construction and improvement of the basic infrastructure of TIDZ Skopje 1 and 2, in Shtip, Struga, Prilep and Strumica, as well as in IZ Kosel (Ohrid). With these 1.2 billion denars, an overpass is being built that will functionally connect the Skopje 1 and Skopje 2 zones, and the rest of the projects include construction of streets, construction of water pipes, sewage, lighting, energy connections, as well as the construction of buildings in operation to the investors. We note that all these zones are operational, that is, one or more industrial facilities work in them.
The increased investment in modern infrastructure is part of the new concept of work of TIDZ, where the stability and security achieved by joining NATO have a significant place. Thus, only in the past two years, investment agreements of over 620 million euros have been reached, which is equal to the overall 11-year performance of this plan in the period up to 2016. In less than two years, more than 2,500 new jobs and salary growth above the average in the economy have been registered. At the moment, 15,500 people work in TIDZ, which is 2.5 times more than the number of employees until 2016, which is elementary proof of the success of projects within TIDZ.
In 2021 alone, the companies that use our services paid into the Budget over 2 billion denars on the basis of contributions and personal tax.
Taking into account these results, as well as the indisputable effects of supporting the economy through capital investments, we believe that the proposal of the VMRO – DPMNE political party to cut capital investments is illogical and completely contrary to the interest of the economy and the citizens who, during this economic crisis they expect more employment with higher wages.
At the same time, we expect the political party VMRO – DPMNE to stop behaving as the “owner” of foreign investments or the Directorate of TIDZ. The institutions are neither of SDSM, nor of DPMNE, DUI or any political party. The institutions belong to the citizens and are paid for with the money from taxes from the companies and are returned to the citizens.