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While Podgorica waives excise duty for all farmers, Tirana continues with the game of selective quotas and "friendly" oil for agriculture...
Montenegro gives oil to farmers without exceptions, while Albania holds them hostage with quotas, bureaucracy and clientelism
While the Montenegrin government announces that it will restore farmers' right to excise tax refunds for oil used in agriculture, a practice that was provided for in law but never implemented, Albania continues to nurture a bureaucratic, unclear, and often selective scheme for distributing subsidized oil to farmers.
The Ministry of Finance in Podgorica has submitted for public consultation the draft law on amendments to the Law on Excise Duties, officially announcing that farmers will benefit from a refund of excise duty on fuel used for agricultural machinery. A measure that has been on paper for years, but is finally becoming a reality thanks to the pressure of protests and compliance with European Union standards. The cost to the public budget? Only 1.1 million euros per year, a minimal amount for a direct effect on agricultural production and the rural economy.
In contrast, Albania continues to operate a “tax-free oil” system that is more of a propaganda machine than a real support for agriculture. The distribution scheme works with digital applications, where farmers must register to receive their annual quotas. But this system is often selective and manipulated, with beneficiaries chosen based on political proximity, local influence or clientelistic interests.
Real farmers, who are not part of the party networks, never manage to receive the amount of oil they are entitled to. Others, who have connections or are part of the power circle, benefit many times over their real needs, to the detriment of the sector and economic justice.
This selective approach not only harms Albanian agriculture, a sector that is already facing depopulation, lack of market and unfair competition from imports, but also undermines citizens' trust in institutions. Oil for agriculture cannot be a privilege. It must be a universal right for every active farmer, regardless of region, party or personal connections.
Montenegro, although with a smaller budget and capacities than Albania, is setting an example of equal and truly supportive policies for domestic production. Albania, which claims to be a leader in the Balkans for agrarian reforms and digitalization, is failing where it matters most: equality and the functioning of the state for its citizens.
In this light, it is not simply a technical issue of fiscal policy. It is a profound issue of economic justice, state morality, and the equal functioning of the law./ Pamphlet
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