Serbian farmers protest delayed diesel tax refunds, reduced rates

Serbian farmers are facing significant delays in receiving their diesel excise tax refunds, with some reporting waits of several months. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management is obligated to issue these refunds within two weeks of a farmer submitting a request, but this deadline is frequently missed.

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I submitted the request for a refund in February, and I received the money for the excise tax, 50 dinars per liter of purchased diesel, in May.

Adding to the farmers' concerns, the Serbian government recently raised the price of diesel fuel for agricultural producers. Simultaneously, the amount of the excise tax refund has been reduced from 50 dinars per liter to 38 dinars, according to farmers who have received new payment decisions. This reduction comes after an agreement made in 2023 between then-Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and protesting farmers, which promised a 50-dinar refund per liter within 14 days.

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Shouldn't someone explain on what basis they reduced the refund of that agreed amount of excise tax?

Farmers like Dalibor Paskulov expressed frustration, stating he submitted a refund request in February and only received the money in May. He questioned the basis for the reduction in the agreed-upon refund amount. Another farmer, Dragan Kleut, noted that he is owed approximately 100,000 dinars for around 2,000 liters of diesel, as only his January refund request has been processed. Many farmers are delaying submitting requests, choosing to accumulate receipts for a single submission.

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I think requests for about 2,000 liters have accumulated, and the state owes me about 100,000 dinars.