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Shkruar nga PamfletiWhy should we subsidize Bezos' wedding trip to Venice with money that a public hospital in Albania lacks?
In a country where citizens pay around 200 lek per liter of diesel, the world's billionaires stop by as if at a resort to fill their yacht's tanks at prices that resemble subsidies, without excise duty, without VAT, without responsibility.
This is not a metaphor, it is what is happening today in the Port of Durres where "Abeona" was anchored, the 76-meter-long supply yacht, auxiliary to the superyacht "Koru", both owned by one of the richest people on the planet, Jeff Bezos.
The yacht is moving through the area and will then stop in Venice, where Bezos' wedding is expected to take place.
“Abeona,” a sea monster built in 2023 by the Dutch company Damen, comes with two giant engines that consume up to 400 liters of diesel per hour and has tanks that can hold over 100,000 liters. This is the amount that can be supplied to Albania tax-free, thanks to a scheme that, under the guise of “elite tourism,” offers the superyacht a luxury that the Albanian citizen never even dreams of: diesel at a price of 52 lek per liter.
For such a supply, Bezos pays about 50 thousand euros. If it were supplied in Italy or Greece, it would cost him over 150 thousand euros. The difference? An amount that in Albania covers the monthly salaries of 300 teachers.
This phenomenon, known internationally as "fuel tourism", is turning Albania into a pumping station for the most expensive yachts in the world.
Billionaires don't stop to see the city, or to dine, let alone invest. They stop to fill up their yachts and leave. In Durrës, in Saranda, in Vlora, history repeats itself: yachts come in, refuel, leave.
Zero taxes, zero impact on tourism, zero benefits for the people. And meanwhile, the state turns a blind eye and sells this as a tourist success.
The irony is that while Bezos receives tax-free oil, Albanian operators who have tourist ships, who operate under the Albanian flag, who employ Albanian workers, and who live here, do not benefit from this treatment.
They pay the stock exchange price, they pay excise duty, they pay VAT, they pay for every liter. And what's more, they compete in the same market with foreign yachts that are supplied at prices that are impossible for a local entrepreneur. It's like racing on a track where the other person has a Ferrari that fills up for free and you have a bicycle that pays tax for every road.
This is no longer just a fiscal problem. It is a blatant injustice. It is a policy that subsidizes the billionaire and penalizes the citizen. And it is an indicator of how Albania is using its resources to attract wealth that does not last, that does not contribute and that does not help either the economy or tourism. Because at the end of the day, it is not tourism when a yacht stops only to refuel and leaves without leaving anything behind.
The Albanian government has sold this as a “facility for the elite yacht towing.” But who is the “elite” who stops for five hours, fills up on diesel, and leaves without even setting foot on land? Why should we subsidize Bezos’ trip with the money that a public hospital lacks?
And more importantly: why isn't domestic tourism treated with the same dedication?
Albania is not a gas station. It is not a privileged island for billionaires seeking to avoid taxes. Albania is a country of people who always pay more than they have. And it can no longer be a temporary stopover for an elite that leaves nothing but engine smoke.
If this policy is not stopped, Albania will never become a tourist destination. It will remain simply a fuel destination. And when the bill for this strategy comes due, it will be the people who will pay it, not Bezos. He will be somewhere in Venice, with a full tank and an empty conscience./ Pamphlet
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