Full personal income tax refund for working mothers and public procurement reform before the finance and budget committee

Two important draft laws are before today’s session of the parliamentary Committee on Finance and Budget, as Biznis Vesti reports in an article by Toni Ivanoski. The first draft law provides for amendments to the Law on Personal Income Tax, through which employed mothers would receive a full refund of the personal tax paid on their wages.

Under the proposal, the mother of a first child would receive a 100% refund of personal wage tax for a 12-month period, the mother of a second child for a 24-month period, while the mother of a third child would enjoy the benefit until the child reaches adulthood — 18 years. The aim of the proposer, according to the MIA news agency, is additional financial support for families by increasing disposable income, without introducing new benefits or direct payments from the Budget.

The measure, again according to the proposer, seeks to address the economic challenges families face, improve work–family balance, serve as demographic policy and encourage birth rates.

The second draft law before the Committee concerns amendments to the Law on Public Procurement. It provides for modernising the training system for public procurement officials through continuous professional development instead of the current exam-based recertification, as well as expanding the powers of the Public Procurement Bureau into digital tools and artificial intelligence, with the aim of improving processes and reducing corruption risks, Biznis Vesti also reports.

Meanwhile, according to the MIA agency, the draft law also introduces new data-exchange mechanisms and greater transparency in public procurement procedures.