ZAGREB, Sept 14 (Hina) - Members of Parliament of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) will forward either on Tuesday or Wednesday to the Parliament draft amendments on Value Added Tax, decreasing it to zero tariff for all types
of bread, milk, books and medicines. The amendments could be applied in November. Forwarded to the Parliament will also be three bills stipulating an increase in special tax for cars, tobacco and luxury products, HDZ bench chairman Vladimir Seks told a news conference on Tuesday. Seks announced a parliament discussion on a bill on electoral units which, as he said, would strictly be based on the opinion of a working group of experts and an agreement reached in May between the ruling HDZ and six opposition parties. The mandate of the present Croatian Parliament House of Representatives expires at midnight between November 27 and 28, and the elections will probably take place this ye
ZAGREB, Sept 14 (Hina) - Members of Parliament of the ruling
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) will forward either on Tuesday or
Wednesday to the Parliament draft amendments on Value Added Tax,
decreasing it to zero tariff for all types of bread, milk, books and
medicines.
The amendments could be applied in November. Forwarded to the
Parliament will also be three bills stipulating an increase in
special tax for cars, tobacco and luxury products, HDZ bench
chairman Vladimir Seks told a news conference on Tuesday.
Seks announced a parliament discussion on a bill on electoral units
which, as he said, would strictly be based on the opinion of a
working group of experts and an agreement reached in May between the
ruling HDZ and six opposition parties.
The mandate of the present Croatian Parliament House of
Representatives expires at midnight between November 27 and 28, and
the elections will probably take place this year, less likely next
year, Seks said.
Announcing a draft bill on increasing taxes, Seks said the increase
pertained to bigger and luxury cars, while cars with 55 to 75 kW of
horse power would remain unchanged.
He also said that the final draft constitutional law on the Croatian
Constitutional Court would be forwarded for discussion in the
autumn. The bill should ensure a further consolidation of the Court
as the fourth branch of state authority, Seks said.
The Court's judges would, according to the draft, be suggested by
the House of Counties, but elected by the House of
Representatives.
The judges should not be members of any political party, nor should
they through their public duties indicate preference for any
party.
The text includes a provision according to which the decisions and
verdicts of the Constitutional Court are binding for everyone.
Asked to comment on a statement made by the Constitutional Court
president, Jadranko Crnic, that elections for the House of
Representatives should be held during the present mandate of the
Constitutional Court, Seks said that any changes in the
Constitutional Court would not influence the correctness, fairness
and regularity of elections.
Claims that the new Constitutional Court mandate would influence
the fairness of elections are speculations, Seks said. He added
that Crnic had passed over to the political sphere if his statements
had been correctly relayed.
Asked if any judges had already been discussed, Seks said that not
one state or party (HDZ) body had discussed or decided on candidates
for the Constitutional Court.
He also announced that amendments to the Law on Croatian Radio and
Television would be forwarded into parliament procedure. The
amendments should make it possible for two HRT programmes to
broadcast nine minutes of advertisements per hour, and twelve
minutes on the third programme.
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