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| Kosovo singer and humanitarian Labinot Tahiri, who publicly shared his tax invoices to demonstrate financial transparency and civic responsibility. |
In a lengthy statement shared on social media, Tahiri published tax documents showing payments related to his performances, highlighting what he described as his commitment to contributing financially to the state of Kosovo.
According to the invoices he shared, a single wedding or musical event can be worth €7,000. Based on the documents, 18% is paid as VAT, amounting to approximately €1,067.80 in tax for a single night, while the net value of the invoice is €5,932.20.
Other fiscal receipts published by the singer show that the total declared amount exceeds €106,000, with more than €16,000 in VAT paid.
“I have been declaring my income since 2004”
Tahiri emphasized that he has been declaring his income since 2004, when Kosovo had not yet declared independence.
“Since 2004, I have been declaring for my state, when Kosovo did not yet have independence! I would be ashamed if I did not contribute.”
The singer also recalled his difficult beginnings, saying that before the war he had sold cigarettes and that having achieved financial success today should not be a reason to avoid fulfilling his obligations to the state.
“Before the war, I used to sell cigarettes, and today, if I have made some money, why shouldn't I fulfill my obligations to the state?”
A message about civic responsibility
In his statement, Tahiri connected the issue of paying taxes with the sacrifices made by generations of Kosovars and Albanians.
He argued that failing to pay taxes diminishes the value of the sacrifices made by people living abroad, members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and prominent national figures.
Among those he mentioned were Ibrahim Rugova, Hashim Thaçi, Albin Kurti and Adem Demaçi, as well as the Jashari and Haradinaj families.
Tahiri concluded his message by calling on citizens to take greater responsibility for their obligations to the country. He said that he teaches his children the importance of humility and contributing to their homeland.
“The state is not sustained only by politicians; it is also sustained by its own people.”
By publishing his tax invoices and fiscal receipts, Labinot Tahiri has placed the issue of tax compliance among artists and private-sector professionals back into the public conversation, while presenting his own tax payments as an example of civic responsibility.