25-04-2005
Speakers included Ministry of Finance representatives from Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia and also international experts in the field.
On April 25, ICNL in cooperation with Civic Initiatives organized a conference in Belgrade titled: "Nongovernmental organizations in the Value Added Tax Regime: situation in Serbia and comparative experiences."
The conference aimed
- to address issues regarding the compliance of the Serbian Law on Value Added Tax with the EU Sixth Directive and international good regional practice, and
- to help find answers to questions and indistinctness that nongovernmental organizations face in implementation of the said Law.
Participants found the conference extremely useful and timely because of serious problems the VAT Law has caused to the import of humanitarian goods. As an example, NGOs as the recipients of humanitarian goods are required to pay VAT and subsequently claim rebate. Because they usually do not have resources to pay the VAT on the import of donated goods, the custom officials have them shipped back. The conference addressed this and other important issues affecting the lives of NGOs in Serbia.