The Minister of Economy and Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Srpska Vojin Mitrović stated on 03/29/2023 in Gradiška that the Government of Srpska wiould allocate BAM 14.6 million in the name of incentives for direct investments in the economy and about BAM 15.5 million for increasing workers’ salaries, as well as incentives for direct investments of special importance for the economy of Srpska up to 30 percent of the amount of the investments.
Mitrović stated that the Government of Srpska would pay taxes and contributions for the salaries of employees of business entities that carry out investments of special interest in the next two years, provided that the salary was not lower than the average.
“These are good conditions that we can provide, and the regulations defining the incentives are currently being amended with the aim of making the support for business entities more equal and to include as many businessmen as possible,” Mitrović told reporters after a meeting with the Mayor of Gradiška, Zoran Adžić.
He added that the businessmen’s interest in incentives to increase workers’ salaries was great, whereas 70 percent of the costs of taxes and contributions were being co-financed on an annual basis.
Mitrović emphasized that Gradiška had a high rating in European business circles as a potential location for investment, which was also the result of the activities of the city authorities, especially when it comes to a simpler, faster and cheaper way of obtaining all the necessary permits when investing in the construction of economic plants.
He added that the City Administration had done a lot in cooperation with secondary schools on the training of personnel needed by business entities that invest in Gradiška.
Adžić said that the City Administration supported entrepreneurship and provided subsidies for the acquisition of basic means and business start-up, and stated that business entities in Gradiška had received about BAM 2.5 million in incentives from the Government of Republic of Srpska in the last five years.
He pointed out that the Government and the relevant ministry worked to promote Gradiška to domestic and foreign investors, which contributed to the economic zone in Nova Topola becoming attractive for investment and that six investors would invest tens of millions of euros.
“Currently in Nova Topola, we have three investors from Austria, two from Germany and one from Slovenia, who should soon start building production facilities,” said Adžić.
He added that the number of workers and export-oriented companies was constantly increasing in Gradiška, especially in the field of wood processing, and that currently the coverage of imports by exports is higher than 102 percent.
Adžić emphasized that the Government of Republic of Srpska would support the plan to form a free economic zone in Gradiška, first in the part of the economic zone in Nova Topola, and in the future in the immediate vicinity of the customs terminal and the new bridge on the Sava River.
After the meeting, Mitrović and Adžić visited the Italian company Lattonedil, which operates in the production of building panels, in the business zone in Nova Topola.
The co-owner of this company, Darko Šljivar, reminded that Lattonedil had been operating in Gradiška for seven years, with their constant development and would start building another production plant by August.
