The former President of the American Chamber of Commerce, Mark Crawford suggests having a basic tax system in order to fend off bribery. According to Crawford, the fiscal system should not be changed too often and especially if there hasn’t been a change of governments.

“The economic sectors that attract more foreign investors are the ones that are more stable and free from bureaucracies. We see that when there are many modifications and bureaucracies there is also a lot of corruption”. When things are simple there is no need to tip or “respect” people from the government”, said Crawford.

In an interview for Euronews Albania, he said that the government should give more time to Chambers to consult on the changes.

Although Albania is trying to compete with the United States, China or Russia, in fact, its real race should be aimed at neighboring countries, he said. Crawford emphasized that foreign investors do not want the fiscal system to change every year as it puts their investments at a risk.

“I am investing in Albania, but I am also investing in Montenegro and Kosovo. There are some interesting points in Kosovo as they have a zero tax policy for dividends. This is very attractive for us and obviously, they will go to Kosovo. In business, we don’t get involved with politics and the fiscal system should not be changed often as we have to plan ahead”, he said.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Albania has demanded a postponement of the fiscal package, as the government did not consult first with interest groups. American businessmen also disagree with the law on payroll taxes and introduced a new scheme which they believe to be more stable. AmCham also called for regulating income tax based on international models.