303 Million KM Unallocated: RS Rejects Kraljević's Proposal, Could These Funds Be Used to Pay Viaduct Debt?

(Patria) - The Central Bank of BiH's sub-account holds 303,925,524.18 KM in unallocated funds due to a lack of agreement between entities on new coefficients.

While the adoption of the Budget of BiH institutions for 2025 is stalled, and a way is being sought to pay the debt from the Viaduct ruling amounting to 112 million KM, and possibly more today, the toll revenue remains unallocated.

Given that the state is obliged to pay the Viaduct debt, and that the parties of the Troika, as well as two members of the BiH Presidency, find it unacceptable to do so from the profit of the Central Bank of BiH, as proposed by the Minister of Finance and Treasury Srđan Amidžić, this debt could be covered precisely by these funds, over which there has been no agreement for more than two years.

The previous distribution was in the ratio of 59% FBiH, 39% RS, and 2% Brčko District.

On one occasion, even Milorad Dodik stated that the debt should be paid from the unallocated funds belonging to the RS entity. Regardless of the fact that the state is obliged to pay the debt, through a recourse lawsuit against the RS entity, the state will collect its claims.

It is no secret that the Federal Minister of Finance Toni Kraljević does not want to agree to the previous coefficients by which the Federation of BiH was disadvantaged, nor to the agreement that was reached but remains unacceptable to Kraljević.

In early May, during a hearing before the Finance and Budget Commission of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he stated that the Federal Ministry had developed a methodology for the distribution of funds that was never considered by the UIO Management Board.

He explained that the methodology takes into account three most important parameters - the number of registered vehicles, toll payments by the seat of the taxpayer, and the entities' share in BiH's GDP, according to which the Federation would currently receive 66.14%, the RS 32.36%, and Brčko District 1.5% of the revenue.

It seems that the funds will remain unallocated for some time longer, while the Viaduct debt continues to grow.

For a decision to be adopted by the UIO Management Board, all three ministers of finance (entity and state) must vote in favor.

State representative Šemsudin Dedić received a response from the Council of Ministers of BiH showing that the coefficient for the distribution of funds has not been changed for years.

The coefficient has not been changed for years