Crisis Staff of FBiH Businessmen: Abolish excise duties on raw materials for disinfectants

SARAJevo, (Patria) - The Crisis Staff of FBiH Businessmen has sent to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, the Government of FBiH, the Coordination Board for Economic Stabilization of FBiH, the Federal Civil Protection Staff, and the FBiH Committee for Economic and Financial Policy, a Proposal to abolish excise duties on raw materials for the production of hygiene and disinfectant products, given that in most EU countries, due to the current situation caused by the Corona virus pandemic, the sale of biocides and other raw materials for cleaning products is being banned.

“EU countries are aware that they must put their own facilities into service for their citizens, due to the uncertainty and impossibility of predicting further developments. Cleaning products are necessary both for prevention and for maintaining a favorable epidemiological situation. As for the producers of these products in BiH, they are entirely dependent on foreign markets,” states the Crisis Staff of FBiH Businessmen, as announced by the FBiH Chamber of Commerce.

They add that since only alcohol is currently available for purchase on the EU market, an urgent proposal has been sent to abolish excise duties under tariffs 2207, 2207 10 00 00, and 2207 20 00 00 for producers of cleaning and disinfectant products who use or can use alcohol (ethanol and denatured) in their production.

“TARIFF codes according to the Nomenclature of Codes for 2019 (Decision on determining the customs tariff for 2019 of December 21, 2018) on which excise duties should be abolished for the purpose of producing cleaning and disinfectant products are:
2207 Undenatured ethyl alcohol with an alcohol volume of 80% vol or higher; ethyl alcohol and other spirits, denatured, of any strength
2207 10 00 00 Undenatured ethyl alcohol with an alcohol volume of 80% vol or higher
2207 20 00 00 Ethyl alcohol and other spirits, denatured, of any strength,” the proposal stated. 

Support for the above has also been sent through foreign embassies in BiH, as well as through the Bosnian-Herzegovinian diplomatic-consular network to engage as soon as possible in securing alcohol from suppliers of this product (ethanol or denatured alcohol), all for the purpose of importing and primary production of cleaning and disinfectant products.

“We note that on March 19, 2020, Montenegro abolished excise duties on alcohol for the purpose of producing disinfectants and hygiene products, and Croatia is providing producers of these products with the necessary raw materials for production!!! If sufficient quantities of alcohol are not provided and delivered on time, there is a real possibility that our citizens will be left without basic means in the fight against the pandemic, i.e., hygiene and disinfectant products. We note that all biocides used in the production of these products are prohibited for sale outside the borders of their home country. Alcohol is a substance that can still be obtained, so the Crisis Staff of FBiH Businessmen asks that this issue be organized as soon as possible and an attempt be made to prevent and partially mitigate the damage caused by the Corona virus pandemic,” say the Crisis Staff of FBiH Businessmen.