Amendments to the VAT Law Adopted, but Not the "Reform" Laws

(Patria) - At the 9th session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PSBiH), the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Labor in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by representatives Predrag Kojović, Sabina Ćudić, and Aida Baručija, was adopted in the second reading and by abbreviated procedure.

In the first reading and by abbreviated procedure, the House of Representatives adopted the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Value Added Tax, proposed by representatives Mladen Bosić and Darko Babalj.

Along with this Bill, the House adopted a conclusion obliging the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH to provide its opinion on the proposed amendments or a new law, along with an eventual accompanying financial analysis and conclusions on potential financial implications, in all cases of submitting the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Value Added Tax or drafting a new law to the parliamentary procedure.

In the first reading, the Bill on Amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives of the PSBiH, proposed by representative Mia Karamehić-Abazović, was also adopted.

The Bill on Amendments to the Law on the Ombudsman for Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina, "P.Z.E.I.", in the second reading, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH by abbreviated procedure, was sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization due to the lack of an entity majority.

After the proposals for amendments by representative Šerif Špage were sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization due to the lack of an entity majority, the House of Representatives postponed the vote on the Bill on Freedom of Access to Information at the level of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina "P.Z.E.I.", in the second reading, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH by abbreviated procedure. The House will vote on this Bill in the second reading after voting on the proposed amendments by representative Špage.

The House previously adopted the amendment by representative Albin Muslić, which became an integral part of the Bill.

Due to the lack of an entity majority, the Bill on Amendments to the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, "P.Z.E.I.", in the first reading, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH by abbreviated procedure, was also sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization.

After the House again did not accept the negative opinions of the Constitutional-Legal Committee of the House of Representatives and the Joint Committee on Human Rights of the PSBiH, the legislative procedure for the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by representative Denis Zvizdić, was suspended.

The House of Representatives did not adopt, in the first reading, the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Service in the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH by abbreviated procedure.

The House of Representatives adopted a conclusion obliging the competent ministry in the Council of Ministers of BiH, the competent ministries of the entities and cantons to, within 15 days of the adoption of the conclusion, analyze the damage suffered by pig breeders affected by African swine fever, as well as agricultural households affected by the superstorm. Funds will be allocated to municipalities and cities in whose territory the disease was registered and to municipalities and cities proportionally to the registered damage to agricultural households.

The parliamentary initiative of Nihad Omerović to adopt a decision on determining the annual quota of work permits for the employment of foreigners in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2023 through simplified procedures was adopted. Along with this parliamentary initiative, the House of Representatives adopted a conclusion requesting the competent institutions to strictly consider the protection of the rights of the domestic workforce when establishing quotas for work permits for the employment of foreigners in BiH.