Bevanda acting unlawfully: Demands that UIO Board meetings be held by phone!

The Management Board of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH is evidently functioning with increasing difficulty, as evidenced by the last session when no agreement was reached on the draft law on amendments to the Law on Excise Duties in BiH, thereby jeopardizing the arrangement with the IMF, as well as other international credit arrangements, reports the Patria news agency.

As Patria learns from the Ministry of Finance of BiH, the excise duties would have passed even at the previous session, had the disputed items not been removed from the agenda, which did not sit well with the Chairman of the UIO Management Board, Vjekoslav Bevanda (HDZ BiH). Following this information, we requested a statement from the Minister of Finance of BiH, Bevanda, to clarify what exactly was disputed on the agenda.

Bevanda himself stated on several occasions in the media that the blocking of the adoption of the Law on Excise Duties at the 15th session in Mostar has its prelude and history, and he linked this blockade to the 14th session held in Banja Luka. When asked, "can he say how the situation unfolded at the 14th session of the MB and who, before the 14th session, provided him with information that experts would block the work of the MB, and how many agenda items were at that session, which items were of a technical nature, which items they agreed on, and which items the experts were against," Bevanda said:

- Given that you have posed questions dealing with hallway gossip befitting the "yellow press," and the minister, in his statement in Mostar, which you also published, emphasized that he will not gossip, answering your questions would lead to communication at a level to which the Minister of Finance and Treasury of BiH and Chairman of the MB UIO cannot and does not wish to stoop. Bearing in mind the good cooperation with your media outlet, the minister is at your disposal for all official information in the areas under his jurisdiction, and in this specific case, they are already known to the public – it was stated in the response.

Such a response leaves room for various speculations, and our sources from the Ministry emphasize that the decision on the operation of the Bijača Customs Terminal actually "hurt" Bevanda the most, because certain members of the UIO MB clearly demanded answers as to the legal basis on which "the UIO concluded a lease agreement for the space - the customs terminal (CT) plateau in Bijača to the private company 'Volta' d.o.o. Ljubuški".

It is evident that Bevanda, as Chairman of the UIO MB, expects everyone to blindly respect whatever he wishes to be realized. Thus, Bevanda proposed that sessions of the Management Board of the UIO begin to be held by phone or via video link!?

Namely, he proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure to enable such sessions, which is in complete contradiction with the Law on the Indirect Taxation System in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is clear that the Law is above by-laws, and Bevanda would have to amend the Law for this proposal.

Article 16 of the Law on the Indirect Taxation System in Bosnia and Herzegovina states "that the Board meets once a month or more often, if the Chairman deems it necessary."

- The Administration provides the Board with the necessary resources and provides it with appropriate staff support, to enable it to perform its tasks under this law. The Chairman convenes the meetings of the Board. In the invitation to the members of the Board and observers on the Board, he states the time, place of the meeting, and the agenda, delivering the invitation at least one week before the date set for the meeting. The Board adopts rules of procedure that will regulate the method of work – the law states.

It is unclear how Bevanda imagined that regulations and important conclusions could be adopted at a telephone session, so it is expected that this proposal will be rejected at the next session of the UIO MB.

From the Ministry of Finance of BiH, regarding this proposal, they say:

- The Chairman of the UIO MB proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure based on which sessions, besides in person, can also be held via video link and by phone. The reasons for this proposal are ensuring a quorum for urgent items and those tied to deadlines, when it is impossible to agree on a session date due to the obligations of UIO MB members who come from other cities. Regarding the proposed amendments to the rules of procedure, which do not change anything in the decision-making method, the Chairman also consulted with the entity finance ministers, who often, due to regular obligations in their ministries, are unable to coordinate dates for holding sessions – they say from the Ministry of Finance.

We remind you, the members of the UIO MB, besides Chairman Bevanda, are Jelka Milićević, Minister of Finance of the FBiH, Zoran Tegeltija, Minister of Finance of the RS, Miodrag Kudić, expert from the RS, Ismet Suljendić, expert of the Council of Ministers of BiH, and Muhamed Kozadra, expert from the FBiH. Observers without voting rights are Miro Džakula, Director of the UIO BiH, Mato Lučić, Director of the Finance Directorate of Brčko District, and Kemal Kozarić from the CB BiH.