Filipche: Companies are waiting for 200 million euros in VAT refunds, while the government announces a new government plane

While some companies struggle for liquidity, take loans and calculate their last reserves, Venko Filipche claims that the state owes them more than 200 million euros in VAT refunds. At the same time, according to him, the authorities are announcing the procurement of a new government plane.

The president of SDSM placed this contrast at the center of his attack on the Government's economic policy. He said that delayed VAT refunds leave firms without working capital, force them to take on additional debt and in some cases create a risk of closure.

The figure of over 200 million euros was presented by Filipche and calls for official confirmation from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Revenue Office: what is the total outstanding refund, how many claims are due, how long have companies been waiting and is there a plan to clear the obligations. Without such a table, the government and the opposition will continue to exchange numbers, and companies will pay the price of uncertainty.

Workers demand wages, the Government must show its list of priorities

Filipche announced that SDSM will again propose that the minimum wage be increased to 36,000 denars, i.e. 600 euros, together with time-limited subsidization of additional contributions for private companies. His message is that the state must both help workers and prevent the new cost from pushing firms into even greater illiquidity.

The authorities have so far not accepted SDSM's previous proposal for the same increase. Filipche assessed that household budgets are heading into a difficult autumn due to higher bills for electricity and heating, school costs and price increases for food and fuel. He demanded that the money be provided by cutting items he called luxury — cars, furniture and other non-urgent expenses.

"All that needs to be done is to reduce the luxury item, and there is much to reduce — cars, furniture," Filipche said, after which he opened the topic of the announced new government plane.

The status, necessity and cost of a possible plane procurement must be published by the Government. The state may cite security, operational or cost reasons for replacing an aircraft, but those reasons should be supported by an assessment, a public procurement process and a comparison of alternatives. Without that data, the remaining picture is politically destructive: companies are waiting for the money that belongs to them, while the authorities are considering an expensive symbol of comfort.

The state must not finance its own liquidity at the expense of companies

A VAT refund is not a subsidy or a gift from the Government. These are funds that, after meeting legal conditions, must be returned to companies. Any unjustified delay means the state temporarily improves its own cash position at the expense of the private sector.

Filipche used the moment to accuse the authorities of "brutally and hostilely" managing in their own interest. That assessment is political, but the question behind it is measurable: how much money is owed to firms and which expenditures does the Government consider more important than timely refunds?

Mickoski can only rebut the attack with complete data: the age structure of VAT claims, a monthly payment plan and a public financial analysis for any purchase of a government plane. Anything else will reinforce the perception that the economy faces waiting, while the authorities opt for luxury.

Photo: footage from the SDSM press conference