The changes approved by Parliament come into force after one week Here is how much more we will have to pay The changes approved by Parliament come into force after one week New taxes on wages Here is how much more we will have to pay Taxed brackets Taxable limits Rate to be applied Amount to be taxed Amount to be withheld 4004-10000 10 6000 600 10001-20000 15 10000 2100 20001-30000 20 10000 4100 30001-40000 25 10000 6600 over 40000 30 10000 9600 TIRANË — From now on, with the exception of pensioners and people whose income is 4,000 lekë, no one will remain without some tax obligation. A law recently approved by Parliament — and which will enter into force in 10 days — has defined all categories of personal income as well as the persons who will be taxed. At the same time, it brings significant changes compared with the existing system of this type of tax. According to specialists from the Ministry of Finance, the changes introduced by the law are intended to follow the changing economic situation. While the number of people who will be taxed increases — they say — the aim is a fairer distribution of the tax burden in line with their income. The categories of income that will be taxed will be wages, remuneration for artistic and scientific creative activities, income from competitions and lotteries, as well as income from land rents or housing rents. In addition to wages and income below 4,000 lekë, income from gifts and inheritances, from insurance, as well as income from scholarships for pupils and students, will be exempt from tax. Likewise, persons subject to the small business tax will not be subject to this income tax. In order to facilitate the calculation and collection of the tax, a fixed threshold or taxable scale from 7 to 45 has been approved. For income from 4,000 to 10,000 lekë per month, the amounts above 4,000 lekë will be taxed at 10 percent. Income in the range of 10,001 to 20,000 lekë per month will be taxed at 600 lekë plus 15 percent of the amount above 10,000 lekë. Income from 20,001 to 30,000 lekë will be taxed at 2,100 lekë plus 20 percent of the amount above 20,001 lekë. Income from 30,001 to 40,000 lekë per month will be taxed at 4,100 lekë plus 25 percent of the amount above 30,000 lekë. Income over 40,000 lekë per month will be taxed at 6,600 lekë plus 30 percent of the amount above 40,000 lekë. The law also provides sanctions for anyone who tries to evade tax obligations. For hiding or falsifying personal income, offenders will be punished with a fine equal to five times the amount of the concealed tax, as well as payment of 100 percent of the concealed tax. Meanwhile, those persons who fail to declare personal income or do not carry out the withholding and payment of the tax on it will be punished by law with a fine equal to twice their tax obligation. A special article of the law also provides for taxation of the income that individuals obtain as a result of honoraria from supplementary artistic, scientific or freelance activities. In the case of these artistic and scientific incomes, the income tax on them will be only 5 percent. Entry of Parliament and the definition of resident natural persons (locals), as well as foreign natural persons. The former — that is, all persons who live in or are present in Albania for a period of 183 days during a tax year — will be subject to tax on income earned in Albania and abroad. The latter — foreign natural persons — will be taxed only on income earned from sources in Albania. At the same time, the law exempts from income tax all resident natural persons for amounts paid as income tax in another country. Andrea Stefani

Checks by the Government Committee Another illegal adoption scandal? Nine suspicious cases TIRANË — The issue of illegal adoptions is back in the spotlight. This time the alarm comes from the Albanian Adoption Committee attached to the Council of Ministers. New verified cases have been reported, as well as the many irregularities in adoption documentation denounced by this Committee. Suspicions of abuses involving the lives of children continue to remain very strong. "There are 9 illegal adoptions of children aged from 63 years — Hilmie Mara, Chairwoman of the Committee, told the Albanian Telegraphic Agency — of these, 5 were carried out in Durrës and 4 others in Shkodër". A check carried out by this institution throughout Albania has confirmed, in addition to these cases, many irregularities in the documents that leave room for suspicion. According to Mara’s statements — in addition to violations involving children — it appears that other institutions are also involved in this scandal. The inspection carried out has verified cases in which a child registered as dead is missing the death explanation and the hospital death record. The shadow of suspicion over serious abuses involving children’s lives weighs even more heavily when infants have been taken from hospitals or the institutions caring for them on the basis of a signature that corresponds to none of the parents legally recognized. In most cases, even the addresses of the new adoptive parents are not known. The blame is placed on the director of the Ministry of Labour and Emigration as well as on the judicial authorities. The relevant directorate within the Ministry has unlawfully allowed children to leave the institutions. The same applies to the courts, which issued adoption decisions when current law did not allow such acts. The scandal over illegal adoptions had already broken out in 1991. Even then the courts themselves, along with children’s homes, were brought under accusation. Many reported cases further intensified suspicions about the existence of a trafficking network involving Albanian children. It was precisely this scandal that forced former President Alia, in March 1992, to ban adoptions by law until the creation of an Albanian Committee that would deal directly with this issue. But on that very day, another case occurred in TIRANË: the 7-year-old girl Luljeta Hoxha disappeared without a trace. Despite repeated appeals by Gazeta Shqiptare also in Italy, her fate is still unknown today.

ALBANIA ESTABLISHES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH BRUNEI — Diplomatic relations — at ambassadorial level — have been established between Albania and Brunei. The two countries have agreed to develop cooperative relations in full compliance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations. IN SHKODËR, MORE THAN 300 REQUESTS FOR THE BUDGET FOR MINITRACTORS — The interest of Shkodër farmers in agricultural machinery is growing. So far, more than 300 requests for mini-tractors and other implements have been submitted. Through these, farmers will receive loans to be repaid over a four-year period. At present, only 65 machines have arrived in this district and will soon be distributed. In this distribution priority has been given to villages that have less land and no money for construction. ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RELIGIOUS COMPLEX IN LAÇ — Nearly 1 million dollars have already been invested in the construction of the complex of religious institutions in Qafë Kaçit. This complex is being financed by the Catholic Church — it will include, in addition to religious buildings, facilities of a social nature. Here there is expected to be a catechism garden and a medical centre for the needs of the village. This complex will be a mosque? in Albania and its church will be built — in terms of size — after those of Shkodër and TIRANË. IN RRËSHEN THE SPORTS PALACE IS TURNED INTO A MARKET FOR SALES — The destination of the Sports Palace in the district of Rrëshen has now changed. Instead of sporting activities, commercial activity is now carried out here. At present this institution is Rrëshen’s main market. The Sports Palace — whose construction had begun several years ago — was turned over to merchants after work on it was interrupted for lack of funds.

TIRANË — Another 10 million ECU — 12 million dollars — from the European Community for Albania. This amount — within the framework of humanitarian aid — has been approved for four different projects, among them those for the repair of compulsory-school buildings for children; the construction of apartments; and social assistance for former political prisoners. In order to define the way these projects will operate, an assessment mission from the European Community will also arrive in TIRANË within this week.

The “defeat” of the international reporters TIRANË — Albania’s path toward admission to the Council of Europe continues. The doors of Europe now seem even closer. The day before yesterday the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, as well as the Committee on Political Affairs, decided to send reporters. It will be these — who will come in March or April — who, in their report, will formulate Albania’s "proof" for entering the Council of Europe. The arrival of these reporters always takes place — according to a known procedure — after a report sheet has first been submitted by the jurists of the Council of Europe. This report, justified on Albania — which contained various data on constitutional and legal reform, on the functioning of democratic institutions and the implementation of human rights — had been prepared not only and reviewed by two specialists. It had been presented to the special committees, which then gave an approving assessment. Thus, the arrival of these reporters and a positive report at the end of their work would bring Albania to the threshold of the Council of Europe’s doors.

TIRANË, Police detain 6 people accused of 16 thefts A gang of professionals has been uncovered TIRANË, Police detain 6 people accused of 16 thefts House thieves... with a license A gang of professionals has been uncovered TIRANË — They steal, but with a license. A successful blitz by officers of Police Station 8 has made it possible to uncover and detain six people, two professional robbers, who were able to break into homes in order to get hold of property with drillers’ licenses and uniforms. According to law-enforcement authorities concerning this event — after 16 armed thefts that occurred in the Tirana district, the two detained persons had been equipped with uniforms and electronics, which they used to carry out the thefts. All the perpetrators of the thefts have been arrested and are under investigation. All the arrested perpetrators were detained in the Tirana Prison — according to law-enforcement authorities — and are suspected of having various items in their possession. The value of the stolen items — from the rapid current? The value of the stolen items — from the rapid current? has so far reached an amount that has not been precisely calculated, since the amount stolen and the homes involved, from the initial investigations, has only revealed the "profession" of the perpetrators as robbing various household electrical appliances. e. l.

Twenty-three MPs speak of “unconstitutionality” “The arrest was not unlawful” Twenty-three MPs speak of “unconstitutionality” The Nano case, Arbnori replies “The arrest was not unlawful” TIRANË — The Nano case is again in Parliament. A group of 23 MPs from four parliamentary parties — PS, PD, PAD and PNDJ — have submitted a request to Speaker Arbnori to discuss in a special session the arrest of the PS leader. In the request submitted, the claim is that the length of the imprisonment has exhausted the purpose of the arrest measure, turning it into an act that is now unlawful. And it is Arbnori who responds by underlining that Nano is not a political prisoner. While rejecting the characterization of the actions taken against the deputy and the party leader as unlawful in connection with serious charges, he stresses that at the moment parliamentary immunity was lifted, Parliament knew the nature of the offense. Likewise, Parliament — according to Arbnori — possessed the necessary information to form the view that investigations should be carried out. By not accepting the request to reconsider the Nano case in Parliament, Arbnori made it clear that it can now be resolved only by justice. "If the investigations so far have shown that the pre-trial detention measure against him is no longer justified, the accused or his defence counsel — according to the Code of Criminal Procedure — have the right to request the court to change the security measure," he states in his reply. Meanwhile, the group of MPs insists on unconstitutionality, in Nano’s imprisonment and arrest. Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly, Arbnori A. S.

Ownership of land also affects football “'Tirana may be left without a field” ON PAGE 3 Europe without borders, the project is delayed again All the fault of a computer ON PAGE 2