Open Data Albania is examining the possibility of the Municipality of Tirana to invest in infrastructure, by way of contracts and tenders with Object Direct Projects and Public Works. It is the first time that the indicator Potential in Public Investments of the Municipality of Tirana is being researched.
The analysis is considering as Potential Investments all the revenues and funds that the Municipality has the opportunity or should use for Investments through tax collection and financing as follows:
- Revenues from the Local Impact Tax on Infrastructure from new Construction permits, as well as Improvement of Educational Infrastructure Tax;
- the Budget for Investments from the Central Government (state budget);
- the Budget for Investments from the Central Government based on Special Programs, such as the Reconstruction Program;
- Funds for Projects through the Regional Development Program with a focus on Public Works Objects;
- Funds contracted for Public Works by the Municipality’s subordinate enterprises or those owned by the latter (who secure their income from billing).
The budgeting from the Central Government Conditional Transfer Funds for the Municipality, have been identified through information extracted from the Tirana Municipality’s Standard Tender Documents for Public Works and Objects, during the 2019-2022 period, after analyzing a total of 881 procedures.
Apart from this, we’ve considered Investments in the Municipality of Tirana, the full value of the funds contracts as following:
- Fund Contracted (including VAT) for tenders for Public Works, Project Design and Supervision for such Works (full Value)
- Funds Contracted for the Reconstruction Program;
- Fund of Investment in Contracts for Concessionary Schools;
- Funds Contracted during this term by the Municipality’s subordinate institutions or enterprises it owns.
Thus, Open Data Albania found, during the 2019 to 2022 mandate, the Municipality of Tirana marks an Investment Potential value, based on the revenue collection and fund allocation, in the amount of ALL 67.5 billion.
This Municipality (with all subordinate enterprises), during the recent mandate, has contracted Public Investments only in the amount of ALL 53.6 billion. In this case, we’ve included Reconstruction plus Concessionary Schools as Investments and Public Works.
The unused or diverted potential investments comprise 20.6% of the total potential investments or, more specifically, an amount of ALL 13.88 billion.
Table: Unexploited Potential, Investments in Public Works and Works, Municipality of Tirana, four-year period 2019-2022, (Public Works + Public Services such as Study-Design, Supervision, and Inspection)
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
This unused potential can very well be considered a responsibility towards the city’s taxpayers, who pay two taxes dedicated solely to Infrastructure: the Infrastructure tax regarding Construction permits and the tax on Educational Infrastructure. The first tax is paid by the Builders, but directly burdens citizens, raising the cost of housing and utilities, a cost borne by them as real estate clients. This tax should be translated into investments, such as roads, sewers, urban connections, as well as institutional buildings for areas where there are new constructions. In comparison, the Educational Infrastructure tax is a temporary tax that is levied by the Municipality of Tirana for its inhabitants and residents.
Public Works Contracts and Objects based on the Budget Source
According to the reference listed in the Open Procurement Albania database, the Reconstruction category, there are as much as ALL 28.4 billion in the Municipality’s finalized tenders regarding the Reconstruction Program during this four-year period.
The Central Government has supported the Municipality of Tirana for other intervention projects via special programs and funds, specifically budgetary interventions for the protection against river erosion and the rehabilitation of civil emergencies. Likewise, the project for the “Construction of Transmission Pipeline Pressure Base-Tunnel-Partitar-Depo Daias”, was financed by AKUM (National Agency for Water, Sewerage and Waste Infrastructure) in the amount of ALL 771 million from the Central Government Budget.
Likewise, the project “Extention of Bovillë drinking water treatment plant 1800l/s phase 2 with 1200l/s”, co-financed by AKUM with Tirana’s Water and Sewerage a.s. (via the revenue of the water company itself), respectively with a total investment value of ALL 1.93 billion (winning bid), and the Central Government Budget.
Other Investments to be considered as part of the Municipality of Tirana Investment portfolio are those carried by the companies it owns, like Eco Tirana a.s. or Tirana Parking. Respectively, a project worth ALL 79.4 million, financed by Eco Tirana, as well as another one financed by revenues collected by Tirana Parking, have been tendered for an amount of ALL 53.7 million.
Tirana’s Water and Sewage a.s using as well the revenues collected, it has tendered about ALL 1.81 billion in projects.
The Tirana’s Pyramide project it is co-financed by the Municipality of Tirana, the State Budget and the Albanian-American Development Fund. Based on the List of State Budget Investments 2023 to 2025, it emerges that the Central Budget provides about ALL 784 million for this Investment of the municipality.
Table: Municipality of Tirana Revenue collection from the impact in Infrastructure tax from new constructions, four-year period 2019-2022, in billion ALL
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
You can find the complete list of Public Contracts by value and year at the excel sheet accompanying this article.
Table 1: Public Works Tenders with Procuring Authority Tirana Municipality and Institutions, 2019-2022four-year period. Each tender also has a passport in the Open Procurement Albania database.
Revenues and financing that the Municipality can use for Investments
The Municipality of Tirana collects revenues through the impact in infrastructure tax for new constructions. Overall, for the 2019-2022 four-year period, the Municipality of Tirana collected impact in infrastructure taxes worth ALL 27.5 billion from new construction permits issued. This tax constitutes about 41% of the venues collected from taxes for the Municipality of Tirana.
Table: Municipality of Tirana Revenue collection from the impact in Infrastructure tax from new constructions, four-year period 2019-2022, in billion ALL
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Apart from the tax revenues and potential they create for investments in Infrastructure, we must also additionally consider the collection of the Special Tax on Infrastructure in Education. The Municipality of Tirana collected ALL 2.8 billion in the last four years through this last tax.
Table: Municipality of Tirana revenue collection from the temporary tax for Educational Infrastructure, four-year period 2019-2022, in million ALLL
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
In total, the municipality has collected ALL 30.4 billion in direct tax revenues from Infrastructure in four years.
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
If the Municipality of Tirana would have relied solely on this Potential offered by the Taxes on Infrastructure for direct Investments using its own budget (without resorting to other budget programs of the central government or revenues collected by the companies it owns/co-owns), Tirana would have had as much as ALL 13.88 billion more Public Works and Investments. From the collection of ALL 30 billion in infrastructure taxes, the Municipality has finalized contracts for works and public investments in the amount of about ALL 16.5 billion. Any difference coincides with other non-capital expenses, expenses for salaries, services, events, etc. (current), i.e. with deviations from the purpose of the tax. Non-realization or deviation for infrastructure taxation amounts to 45.7%.
Regarding the Municipal Contracts, we have also classified tenders for Projects and supervision of Public Works as Investments.
Source: Open Procurement Albania
Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Detailed information on Investments and Public Works contracted by the Municipality of Tirana has been published on the website of Open Procurement Albania. Regarding payments made by Municipalities and other Institutions, based on various spending categories, you can consult the Spending Data Albania database, the Treasury Transactions section, along with information, documents and data links on Public Companies owned by the Municipalities, disclosed on the Passports that our organization has created for each of them, located on Open Corporates Albania. Acts with Budgetary Effects of the Central Government and the Tirana Municipality can be accessed in our online platform Access Justice.
Download excel: If you want to access the excel or dataset that accompanies this article, please write to us at [email protected]Comments and Analyses: Open Data Albania
Contributed by: Ilir Brasha, A. Ndrejaj, B. Tota, L. Kanani
Translated by: Rezarta Cushaj