Of the total 473 million marks sought after by entity Taxation Authority from coal mines, half is owned by Breza and Zenica mines, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity Mining and Energy Minister Nermin Dzindic said on Thursday.
“After both mines management failed to find funds and solutions to the problem, it culminated with the idea of stopping production and organising a strike. Almost no mine paid a single mark on account of taxes from 2009 to 2015 and those debts had to be collected someday,” Dzindic said.
He noted that the Sunday protest and the hunger strike in the Zenica mine pits would not have happened had both Zenica and Breza mines listened to the FBiH Tax Authority's advice of paying the present debt and reprogramming the previous one.
“This was a fair proposal from the Taxation Authority,” he said.
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On Wednesday, Zenica coal miners ended their two-day hunger strike, after the Zenica Coal Mine general manager Nevzet Vrskovic and electric company Elektroprivreda BiH director Bajazit Jasarevic agreed to unfreeze the mine's accounts.
Elektroprivreda director said the company that owns most of the FBIH coal mines, would pay a certain amount on account of the mine's debt to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity Taxation Authority and the due salaries and contributions to the miners.
“My invitation to the Zenica Coal Mine director to resign still stands because he hasn't resigned yet. I hope he resigns. I also hope the general manager of Elektroprivreda BiH will react as well, as he did yesterday (Wednesday) when he sent a letter to the FbiH government asking for the dismissal of production managers in the said mines,” Dzindic stressed and added that the government decided to dismiss production managers.
“We should use the same methodology to dismiss the Zenica Coal Mine director,” the Minister concluded.
