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The income from the tax on real estate and the transactions carried out reach up to 57 million euros at today's exchange rate. In the years 2021-2022, receipts have been at the same level. In the division by municipalities, about 46% of the amount in question is collected in Tirana. The municipality of Durrës ranks second with about 5% of the total, followed by the municipalities of Fier, Elbasan and Vlorë.
"There are 1.2 million families, which have paid in 2022, about 5.3 billion ALL, with an average of 4,860 ALL per year. Of course, the change in the reference prices will bring an increased tax only for the citizens of Tirana, which is thought to increase the total amount from 15 billion lek", says Bardhi Sejdarasi, economic expert, journalist, for the show "Money".
PROPERTY TAX GETS MORE EXPENSIVE
Taxation according to the real price of the property is the fairest taxation. This is the policy of a number of countries that apply this logic widely accepted even by the masses. As such, the formula suggested by the World Bank in Albania was also approved, which was activated in 2018. The government decided that the tax should cost 0.05% of the property's value.
"Property tax was subject to a radical reformation, moving to market value. This relates to the tax value of the building, while the component of the land as a unit was also entered. Today, so many years later, we find ourselves in conditions where the revenue generated from property taxes is equal to the revenue generated from infrastructure impact taxes. There is a difference, because if TNI has a strong influence and to a large extent only in the municipality of Tirana, the property tax is extended to some extent throughout the country. It is the element where the municipalities would base the current income, in order to finance the investment projects. So many years later, the property tax fails to produce the effects that were expected from the municipalities and from the policy-making itself", says Merita Toska, lecturer, Co-Plan expert.
"Tirana, which is divided into 32 cadastral areas, the amount of money is proportional to the value of this area as a reference price. Now this 0.05 will not be multiplied by 1900, but will be multiplied by 3000, so it is understood that the amount we will pay is greater, but in the meantime", explains Suzana Guxholli, economic expert
HOW MUCH DO FAMILIES PAY FOR PROPERTY TAXES
Today, the real estate tax costs an average of 405 ALL per month on a national scale. The revaluation of prices in Tirana will make this tax more expensive, with the addition which will not be uniform in all cadastral areas.
"The increase is different, because the reference price is different. One area has 1900, sometimes 1000 euros m2 and as such it is different", says Guxholli.
Revenues from the real estate tax, especially from the building tax, have increased in the 5 years since the reformation, but the lack of cadastral registers have caused collections to be at low levels. In the last three years, the income from this tax is estimated at an average of 0.3% of the nominal GDP, this ratio is significantly lower compared to the average of the countries of Southeast Europe, with about 0.6% of the GDP.
"The issue of the fiscal cadastre in Albania continues to be a problem despite all the investment of the government and partners. The property data for the 61 municipalities continues to remain a problem. What has this brought? This means that the income from the property tax is about 50 million euros, which means 1/3 is collected, when the potential is very large", says Agron Haxhimali, Institute for Municipalities of Albania.
"The transition to the market value is a modernization of the way the property tax is administered and it is definitely expected to bring higher income to the municipality. However, we must remember that a prerequisite for the application of this methodology is the drafting of a fiscal cadastre. This element that today has not been fulfilled, which definitely worsens or prevents the achievement of potential income that can be generated from property taxes", said Merita Toska, lecturer, Co-Plan expert.
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