Investigation under complete isolation for the Shyti brothers’ gang. Kolaneci protests The director of the Durrës cells is dismissed. The President writes to Pranvera Hoxha page 13

It is now redundant to repeat the protests and strikes staged by all the independent newspapers against the excessively high taxes on the Albanian press. After the protests, something shifted in the state machinery, but a final push from the two journalists’ associations was needed to finally resolve matters. And these associations, that is, the journalists’ associations, which should in fact defend journalists’ rights, have remained silent and have contented themselves with café conversations, without managing to make good on at least the promises they made when they were elected to lead. Apparently, the aim in being elected to lead was to secure trips abroad, appear on TV, or get an invitation to Berisha’s press conferences or receptions. Nevertheless, their excuses that “nobody listens to us” and “there’s no point in tiring ourselves over this” were exposed as a fiasco yesterday at Ber- Berisha’s press conference, where he promised a journalist (who does not work in the press) that “the two journalists’ associations should meet and send me a concrete request to abolish the taxes on the press, and I will do it immediately.” So the two associations, or more precisely the Association of Professional Journalists, apparently lied to us when it said it was “working to abolish the taxes...”. Their lie was exposed yesterday. Now it is up to journalists and publishers, who suffer under the multitude of state taxes, to resolve the problem by requesting a final meeting with Berisha. The Association of Professional Journalists has, at this point, lost the trust of its members, as an association without character, although they also admire figures in Albanian journalism. The several-day strikes held in 1995, and especially the independent newspapers’ calls for a three-day strike at the beginning of next year, should in any case shake up the links in the Ministry of Finance. They too could submit a precise proposal to the President on which taxes could be abolished, which could be lowered, and which cannot be eliminated. The Ministry of Finance forgets that the press also helps it in its work. Nevertheless, when the associations to which you gave your vote do not help you and do not fight for you, what more can you say to the Ministry of Finance?

Protesters in Belgrade during yesterday’s opposition rally — photo REUTER

1. VAT at the printing house 2. VAT at the tax office branch 3. Payroll tax 4. Service tax 5. Fees tax 6. Profit tax 7. Municipal tax 8. Advertising tax 9. Social insurance contributions 10. Customs duty on paper 11. Customs duty on computers