The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), in a meeting with the Director General of Taxation, Ilir Binaj, discussed on Wednesday some of the procedures that, according to them, create unnecessary financial burdens for investors, especially in cases of VAT refunds.

The Chair of the Tax and Customs Committee at AmCham, Alketa Uruçi, brought as an example the difficulties faced by businesses that make investments in tourism, industry, or other sectors.

She emphasized that during the construction phase, investors create VAT credits, but often encounter obstacles in their refund, which forces them to cover a financing cost of 20% of the investment value.

“The tax administration often finds ways not to refund credit VAT, significantly burdening investments. Another problem is that of sales below cost. Although a practice permitted by law in some sectors, the interpretation by the tax administration has been different, leading to penalties for entities, especially those operating in the electricity market,” said Uruçi.

Responding to these concerns, the Director General of Taxes, Ilir Binaj, emphasized that in recent years there has been significant progress in VAT refund procedures and that the vast majority of requests are handled without additional control.

“Today, we handle around 1,700 refund requests per year. The majority, around 80%, are processed immediately, while only a small number are subject to control and are usually related to investments. To my knowledge, we have not refused refunds for investments when the documentation was complete and regular,” stated Binaj.

He emphasized that the common objective of the Tax Administration and business remains a strong and prosperous economy, even though their roles and priorities are different.

“The relationship between the Administration and businesses can often be challenging, so we are here to build bridges of communication,” he said.

At the request of AmCham representatives, Binaj also explained how the “Fiscal Peace” that is expected to enter into force on January 1, 2026, will be implemented. He explained that the goal is to offer businesses an opportunity to avoid controls, as long as they are willing to fulfill the obligations foreseen by the state budget. “Fiscal peace” was a promise during the campaign, and the government is implementing it, as promised. Of course, I said, it is an approach to help businesses, which have always sought not to be controlled by the tax administration due to the time it takes and the costs it has. And this is what the government does to business for those who do not want to be controlled and are ready to make the payments required by the state budget to supplement revenue collection,” he stressed.

The Director General announced that from January next year, controls will be intensified in the construction sector, with a special focus on preventing informality in declaring salaries, one of the sectors most exposed to fiscal risk.