VIŠKOVIĆ: GOVERNMENT IS READY TO PARTICIPATE IN AGREEMENTS TO SOLVE ROAD CARRIERS’ PROBLEMS

BANJA LUKA, MAY 27 /SRNA/ - The Republika Srpska Government is ready to participate in agreements and form working groups regarding all the issues raised by the road carriers, and to implement everything on which consensus is reached, the Prime Minister of Srpska, Radovan Višković, told SRNA.

Višković expressed gratitude to Velibor Peulić, the chief coordinator of the "Logistics BiH" Consortium, for his determination in tackling the serious problems faced by road carriers in BiH. After a meeting with Peulić today in Banja Luka, he emphasized that the road carriers represent a serious industry and a large group of people who do responsible and honest work. “Without transport and these people, all supply chains and everything that functions - from the economy to basic life necessities - would be jeopardized. This sector has never been seriously considered at the BiH level, nor has it received strong support to carry out its activities in the most cost-effective, efficient, and profitable way,” Višković stressed. According to him, road carriers across Europe today face harassment and arrests, and their families endure serious hardships, which makes it crucial to address this issue. The Prime Minister of Srpska also recalled that he had previously met with representatives of the "Logistics BiH" Consortium and emphasized that the Government of Srpska will never be an obstacle in resolving the accumulated problems of the road carriers. He says there is a problem with the daily pay for drivers who travel across Europe, as the regulations are several years old and inflation has since taken its toll. Regarding the Profit Tax Law, Višković believes that road carriers have been unfairly excluded from discounts when purchasing essential equipment. “In other words, the purchase of a fixed asset is not considered a deductible expense, whereas in other industries, when you buy machinery or equipment used for regular production, it is counted as a reduction when calculating profit tax. I believe that since a vehicle, whether it’s a freight truck or a bus, is essential for people whose primary business is transport and not just a side activity, they should also enjoy the same benefit,” emphasized Višković. He added that the issues raised by the road carriers also include fiscalization and the status of the transport activity, especially for those whose more than 90 percent of revenue is generated outside BiH, which should be viewed differently, namely, as an export activity, since these operations generate profit and bring it into BiH. Višković says that it is also necessary to define how the use of fuel and petroleum products should be treated for road carriers whose operations are based abroad. “These decisions must be made at the level of BiH’s joint institutions. Republika Srpska will support such an initiative, but for it to be ultimately implemented, there must also be agreement from the other entity in BiH,” Višković emphasized. He says he is disappointed because the other entity in BiH has ignored all these demands, and that the Prime Minister of the Federation of BiH, Nermin Nikšić, has not responded for over a month to the request sent by the "Logistics" Consortium. The Prime Minister of Srpska says that during today’s meeting, it was also discussed that BiH is a single economic and financial space, and that the benefits for road carriers must be harmonized at the level of the entire country, that is, BiH as a whole. “Republika Srpska is committed to resolving these issues and is ready to work on them together /with others/,” Višković reiterated. He said that the “Open Balkan” initiative, launched by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, resolves the problems facing carriers across BiH to the greatest extent possible. “And that means creating green lanes, corridors. It means recognizing certificates and phytosanitary inspections, so that goods from BiH can reach their destinations quickly, whether that’s Serbia, or Serbia is just a transit route toward North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, or another destination. Today, you have a situation where, in the best case, it takes three days for goods to travel from Bijeljina to Novi Sad, despite the distance being only 100 kilometers. That’s unacceptable. Drivers and their vehicles spend more time at border crossings, waiting for various procedures, inspections, and regulatory checks,” Višković stated. He says that if there is no continuous inspection presence at border crossings, then a road carrier who has traveled thousands of kilometers may arrive at 16:00 and be forced to wait until 08:00 the next morning, and asked whether this situation does not deserve the attention and support of all institutions. The Prime Minister of Srpska recalled that he recently spoke with the Director of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, Zoran Tegeltija, about the need to ensure that personnel are present at border crossings in Srpska, wherever possible, so that road carriers can complete their procedures without delays, rather than spending dozens of hours stuck at the border. "The Republika Srpska Government is a partner and ready to address all these open issues, but it cannot resolve them alone without joint action from the other entity and the joint institutions at the BiH level. We will give our consent if there is a need to draft new regulations or amend certain legal provisions at the joint level. I also call on colleagues from the Federation government to align with us and that we adopt certain laws simultaneously, both in the Federation and in Republika Srpska, to harmonize the business activities of our road carriers across all of BiH," Višković said.