Tax debtors according to the state: Black list weighing 300 million euros

The debt of the largest tax debtors to the state has reached almost 300 million euros, the information is from the latest list of black tax debtors, the Revenue and Customs Administration (UPC) told "News".

Of the total debt, EUR 135.991.304 is due to unpaid value added tax (VAT), profit, real estate sales and concessions, and this debt is on the list of the 200 largest tax debtors.

The total debt from the list of 50 taxpayers for taxes and contributions amounts to 63.324.645 euros, while the debt of bankrupt companies is 98.965.818 euros.

The black list is cut off on April 30 of this year.

The UPC, which has been headed by Rade Milošević since May, said that they made a list of the 200 largest tax debtors for all forms of taxes, a list of 50 debtors who do not pay their obligations based on taxes and contributions from and on personal income, and that the novelty is the 100 largest taxpayers in which bankruptcy was initiated.

The last official list of tax debtors was published in August last year when the UPC was headed by Aleksandar Damjanović, the current Minister of Finance, while during the mandate of the recent Acting Director of the UPC Milena Petričević, the legal obligation to publish the black list was not respected.

A novelty in the publication of data on the largest debtors is the selection of the 100 largest taxpayers in which bankruptcy has been initiated, which was defined by last year's amendments to the regulation on the conditions and criteria for publishing the list of tax debtors

The black list has been published quarterly since 2013 in two parts - the biggest debtors for all tax liabilities (200 of them) and the biggest debtors for debts based on taxes and contributions (100 of them, while the decree defined 50) and on those lists were and debtors in bankruptcy.

The announcements followed the amendment of the law on tax administration, which was initiated by Damjanović from the opposition parliamentary benches.

The regulation that elaborated this issue in more detail was amended last year, so it was added to separate the list of the 100 largest debtors in bankruptcy.

The actor of the "Možura" affair is the biggest tax debtor

On the list of the 200 largest tax debtors, the largest company is "Spic ronghe international (Montenegro) limited", with the amount of 10.143.187 euros. That company is under investigation by the Montenegrin prosecutor's office because of the "Možura" affair.

Its owner is the company of the same name from Hong Kong, and it procured turbines and other equipment worth more than 40 million euros for the company "Možura wind park", which is an investor in the construction of wind power plants on Možura hill, between Bar and Ulcinj.

During April 2020, as the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SST) announced, a case was formed in connection with the business of "Možura wind park", which refers to the right to deduct input VAT in the amount of 6.942.447,87 euros. That amount of VAT is shown based on the purchase of equipment from the company "Spic Ronghe International Limited", the total value of which was 40.001.723 euros.

The director of the company "Spic Ronghe International" from Podgorica is Rajko Stanišić. At the same time, he is an authorized representative of the company "China road and Bridge corporation", which is building the section of the highway Podgorica-Mateševo. Stanišić's company is registered at the same address in "Capital plaza" as "Možura wind park", only on the second floor.

The second company on the list of 200 largest debtors is "Vektra Jakić", with 10.009.299 euros. The company of businessman Dragan Brković also owes 1.692.194 euros for taxes and contributions for employee salaries.

In March of last year, the SDT announced that, following a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, it formed a case related to the case of "Vektra Jakić", with the aim of determining whether a person committed a criminal offense for which they are being prosecuted ex officio.

The Ministry of Agriculture, while it was headed by Minister Aleksandar Stijović, previously told "Vijesta" that the basis for filing the report was a series of illegal actions by several former directors of the Forestry Administration, Ministers of Agriculture and the recent president of the Commercial Court, Blaž Jovanić, who by their illegal actions in the case of " Vektre Jakić" caused multimillion-dollar damage to the state. The Ministry said that by exceeding their authority and failing to perform their official duties, these persons damaged the state, among other things, by more than 12 million euros in the name of non-payment of the concession fee.

Airports made the list

On the list of 200 debtors, "Tehnoput" is third, with a debt of around 5,5 million, and it was also among the debtors for taxes and contributions (1.359.849 euros).

Airports of Montenegro (ACG), which owe the state 200 euros, were blacklisted as the 4.387.499 largest debtors. In 2021, the state-owned company ACG performed positively and earned 2,4 million euros. The total accumulated loss at the end of last year, with this positive result, amounted to 1,2 million euros. That state-owned company ended 2020, which was marked by the coronavirus pandemic, with a loss of 14,2 million, while in 2019, a profit of almost 27 million was achieved.

In fifth place among the 200 largest debtors is "Binex Podgorica", with a debt of 3.799.357 euros, followed by "A-kop" with 3.506.825 euros.

"Cijevna komerc" owes EUR 3.259.463 in taxes, and EUR 580.000 in taxes and contributions.

Among the debtors is one of the owners of the Možura wind farm "Shanghai Electric Power Engineering Montenegro LLC", who owes 1.488.994 euros in taxes, followed by Brković's "Vektra Boka" (1.417.550 euros).

"Plantations" owe 9,36 million for the contribution

The list of debtors for taxes and contributions is led by the state wine production company "Plantaže", with a debt of 9.365.066 euros, which also owes about 755.000 euros for other taxes. Since June 1, the company's account has been blocked by the Municipality of Tuzi in the amount of half a million euros for unpaid real estate tax for last year. That debt is disputed by the company's management.

"Plantaže" ended last year with a loss of 20 million euros because the management also acknowledged the burdens from previous periods. It is a matter of revaluation and change in the calculation of the value of stocks, which is why "Plantaže" had to show more than 13 million euros of negative effects on the net result in the balance sheets.

Second on the black list for taxes and contributions is Railway Transport, which owes 7.109.829 euros, followed by Maintenance of Railway Rolling Stock with 3.277.075 euros, Railway Infrastructure with 2.658.318 euros, "Vektra Boka" with 2.623.837, Izbor Bar with 2.459.889 .2.444.835, Ulcinj Vodovod with 2.077.357, Cetinje Vodovod with 1.966.781, "Simo Milošević" Institute with 1.692.430, Montekargo with XNUMX...

The list also includes Port of Adria with a debt of one million euros, and that company also owes 1,15 million for other taxes. The list of the 50 largest also includes the Union of Trade Unions of Montenegro with 643.000, RTV Pljevlja with 635.000, the hospital "Codra" with 502.481, the football club "Sutjeska" with 326.076 euros...

"Montenegro Airlines" leads the bankrupt with 15 million

On the list of debtors in bankruptcy, the former national airline "Montegro Airlines" (MA) is in first place, which owes the state 15.031.815 euros, and the largest part of the debt relates to taxes for employees' salaries. When the last blacklist was published in August last year, MA owed its employees 13,68 million euros.

Second on the list of debtors in bankruptcy is "Pantomarket" with a debt of 15.010.300 euros, while "Radoje Dakić" is third with a debt of 11.856.385 euros.

They are followed by Bauxite Mines, which owe 9.053.995 euros, the Bar Construction Institute owes 4.444.261 euros, "Mercur system" 3.762.510, Meljine Hospital 3.072.550, "Galenika Crna Gora" 2.571.354, Solana "Bajo Sekulić" 2.225.310. XNUMX euros…

Stimulus for defaulters

Among the debtors on the UPC blacklist are also companies that were approved for tax debt reprogramming under the old law.

Last week, the Ministry of Finance extended the request for submission of applications for debt reprogramming under the new law, which is part of a package of supporting laws within the "Europe Now" project, and was adopted by the parliament at the end of last year. Its goal is to stimulate tax debtors to pay their tax obligations. Debt can be rescheduled by legal entities and individuals. This law contains almost all the provisions of the December 2016 law.

The Ministry of Finance estimated that with the application of this law, the largest number of taxpayers will accept the conditions and reprogram the debt, so that the minimum financial benefit for the budget will be 15 million euros per year, and 75 million euros in five years.

Obligees who enter the reprogram will have to pay 10 percent of the debt at once, and the rest in 60 monthly installments, and the accrued interest on the debt will be written off.

Total tax debt 581 million euros

Damjanović announced in parliament last week that the tax debt to the state increased by 100 million euros in half a year.

"Since October last year, I have had no information about the state of the tax debt. At the end of last year, the debt amounted to about 483 million euros, and on April 6, that debt was 581 million euros. In half a year, it grew by 100 million...", stated Damjanović.