Montenegro: Mysterious Sick Leaves at Tax Administration

Director of the Tax Administration of Montenegro, Miomir Mugoša, stated today that upon taking office, he found more than 30% of employees absent due to sick leave, which is a serious indication that a thorough reorganization of the institution must begin as soon as possible.

Speaking about the unusual case of mass sick leave, Mugoša said at the NIN Fokus Summit in Bečići that in some cities, such as Nikšić, more than 40% of employees had taken sick leave for some reason, and in Budva, 30%.

Mugoša states that immediately after this discovery, he contacted the Minister of Health to find out what ailments the Tax Administration officials were suffering from. He ironically noted that they mostly cited modern ailments – stress, psychological disorders, back pain, knee pain...

As a result of his investigation, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against 10 doctors for issuing sick leave certificates without adequate assessment.

The chief tax officer of Montenegro states that the German agency Dekra has been engaged to conduct an analysis on why the employees are so unmotivated and uninterested.

- And why wouldn't they be. They work for around 450 euros, and they see that a colleague on sick leave is posting greetings on social media and receiving a salary 10% lower than those who are at work, said Mugoša.

He announced a reorganization of the Tax Administration.

A comprehensive reform of the system began a few months ago, and Mugoša emphasizes that the results are already visible, with increased collection, but there are still not enough staff to complete it.

- When we talk about reform, we are doing it under complex conditions, our goals are ambitious, and we are trying to collect tax debts that are years old, he stated.

Mugoša also stated that there is no fiscal stability and fiscal consolidation without an efficient tax administration, that this applies to everyone in the region, and concluded that a comprehensive reform is therefore an even greater challenge.

- I think we have the same profile of taxpayers. Here, no one will come to declare taxes on their own; you have to go and see for yourself, said Mugoša.

Directors of tax administrations stated at the panel that research shows that the share of the grey economy mostly exceeds 30% in every country.

In this business, as they said, the tax administrations of individual countries cooperate excellently, which is necessary for better tax collection, reports Tanjug.