The Finance Ministry Wants to Increase Tax to the Press

The Alia is worried about the verdict of Zurab Noghaideli, the Finance Minster, which is about increasing VAT up to 20% to the press. “As it occurs, the Finance Minister is trying to restrict freedom of speech through forbidden way of increasing tax to the press”, states the newspaper. It says that press is absolutely free from VAT in most of the foreign counties, Russia among them.

The Alia is full of indignation because of the fact that the Ministry cancels VAT to excised goods (cigarettes, alcohol, petrol) while increases it to the press. “That means that tobacco and alcohol are more important than books and newspapers”. The newspaper considers that the fact of increasing tax to the press is an action against it: “free speech is becoming so expensive that Georgian society may not be able to sustain it”. 

Besides press, cancel of preferential duties poses threat to the following: providing of school textbooks; children service in circles, section and studios; health service; construction of churches and temples and their restoration-design, etc. In case the project of the Finance Ministry is fulfilled the cost of life will increase up to 20-30% in Georgia, the newspaper presumes.

New tax adjustments have already been passed to the Parliament. The project will be debated in September together with the budget of next year.  

“The Alia”