Prava submitted to the Parliament a set of amendments to the law: Improve the position of PWDs

Right Montenegro has submitted to the Parliament a set of amendments to the law, with the aim of improving the position of persons with disabilities (PWD).

The initiative, as announced by that party, consists of: Bill on Amendments to the Law on Value Added Tax, Bill on Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information and Bill on Amendments to the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance.

The bill amending the Value Added Tax Act exempts persons with 80 percent or more physical or sensory disability, i.e. at least 60 percent long-term damage to the organs of movement, who import passenger vehicles for their own needs from paying VAT upon importation.

"This is necessary, because the current legal solution does not include all persons with severe disabilities, nor persons with difficulty moving, which has put a large number of them in an unequal position. With this proposed amendment to the law, organizations of persons with disabilities are exempted from paying VAT when importing vehicles for their own needs, because these organizations work to include people with disabilities in various social activities," stated Prava.

The draft law amending the Law on Free Access to Information introduces the obligation of authorities to provide access to information in a form accessible to persons with disabilities, in accordance with the type of disability.

"This is necessary, because the current Law on Free Access to Information does not stipulate that the authority must provide access to information in a form accessible to persons with disabilities, so that in practice certain persons with disabilities cannot access all information in the possession of the authority, which lead to an unequal position," the statement added.

The draft law on the amendment of the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance enables beneficiaries, who exercise the right to a family pension based on their inability to live and work independently, to put it on hold, if there is a possibility to get a job. After the termination of the employment relationship, they are given the right to continue receiving family pension in the same amount in which they received it before starting the employment relationship.

"In this way, people with disabilities are enabled to establish a working relationship without losing their right to a family pension, which is very important for them, because it gives them a certain security. Thus, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, gives the opportunity to people with disabilities to exercise their right to independent living and work", according to Prava.

From that party, they called on all political subjects to adopt as soon as possible the mentioned set of amendments to the laws important for people with disabilities.

"True Montenegro works systematically to improve the position of people with disabilities, so we will submit further systemic solutions in this direction to the parliamentary procedure in the coming period," the announcement concludes.