Radio România Internațional

Tag: e-invoice

  • Summertime protests

    Summertime protests

    Accountants, economists and entrepreneurs on Monday took to the streets of Bucharest to draw attention to what they call ‘fiscal terror’, and measures endorsed without public talks but with a major impact upon the entire society.

    The event called “A Chaos-free Fiscal Administration” was attended by people from all over Romania who braved the extremely hot temperatures to voice their discontent. Protesters took to Victoriei Square in downtown Bucharest, close to the government building, and their delegation held talks with the authorities. They showed their disapproval towards the authorities’ latest decisions on digitizing the fiscal administration. They denounced the lack of transparency and the fact that the introduction of several mechanisms such as the e-invoice, e-VAT or e-transport, would rather increase bureaucracy as there is a larger number of forms to fill in and a lot of redundant information. Furthermore, the accountants complained that the technical instruments made available by the Finance Ministry do not function properly.

    The protesters also called for legislative predictability with a clear schedule for fiscal amendments, made public at least six months before implementation.

    In turn, authorities say the new measures are meant to combat tax evasion. At the same time, Finance Minister, Marcel Bolos, pledged to step up talks with those directly affected.

    A government’s decision allowing the police to suspend licenses of drivers who have refused to take an anti-doping test before getting the results of medical investigations has triggered discontent among drivers in Romania.

    According to the organizers, ”Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, are jeopardizing the lives and careers of thousands of innocent drivers who run the risk of getting criminal files and losing their jobs because of false positive tests’.

    Following protests, this government ordinance aimed at changing the Traffic Code in Romania, would be amended in the first session of the Executive. The Prime Minister has called on the Interior Minister to come up with new measures so that drivers should not be sanctioned on the basis of false positive drug tests on one hand and on the other hand the new measures should not compromise the fight against the use of banned substances.

    The field drug-test kits used by the Romanian police are error-prone and known to have produced false-positive errors in many situations. Forensic experts have explained that a series of food or medical substances can influence the aforementioned tests. One suchlike substance is codeine, which is normally used in the treatment of coughing.

    So, the Romanian authorities are in need of new, more effective drug-test kits, able to confirm a test in a couple of days. At present a test needs a couple of months to confirm and so need drivers to get back their suspended licenses.

    (bill)

  • January 9, 2024

    January 9, 2024

    Government. The Romanian government should adopt a decision by the end of this month for the implementation of the National Plan to combat school violence and drug use. Students will attend health education courses and will be able to be tested with the parents consent for drug use, according to the National School Safety Plan. Compared to the measures applied so far, the document provides for the establishment of action groups at the level of each pre-university education unit, which will include specialists from the institutions that have undertaken this program. The aim is to combat the trafficking and consumption of psychoactive substances in schools, stop bullying, but also violent crimes. The pre-university education law obliges school principals to report cases of violence against students to the national number 119, and minors involved in such acts, together with their parents, must attend counseling sessions. In case of a refusal, the provision can be applied by court decision.



    Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel again on his latest regional tour aimed at preventing the escalation of the Gaza war. According to our correspondent, the head of the US diplomacy will try, once again, to convince the Israeli government to restrict its military operations in order to protect Palestinian civilians. The US would like the Israeli authorities to officially declare that they are moving to the third phase of the war, in which they will reduce their forces in the Gaza Strip and give up massive bombing. Israel is going through a very difficult moment, but has real chances of integration with its Arab neighbors, said Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, where he already met with President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz. On Monday, the Israeli army managed to liquidate two field commanders, one in Lebanon, a member of the leadership of the elite force of the Hezbollah organization, and the second in Syria, who was responsible for Hamass missile attack program on Israel from Syrian territory.



    Unemployment. In Romania, the unemployment rate in November 2023 was 5.4%, a value equal to that recorded in October last year, according to the data published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics. The unemployment rate among men was 0.9 percentage points higher than for women. The high level of the unemployment rate among young people (15-24 years), of 21%, continues to be worrying, the NIS warns.



    Health-care. The Romanian Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, has announced that new memoranda on unblocking jobs in the system have been finalized. He stated that he hopes that the Government will approve the memoranda as soon as possible, so that the employment contests can be organized and the vacant positions can be filled. The Minister of Finance, Marcel Boloş, has also stated that the issue of jobs in the health-care will be resolved this week.



    Invoicing. The national e-Invoice system took receipts worth a total of 16 billion lei (3.2 billion euros) in just seven days since it was introduced for transactions between companies , the Romanian Minister of Finance, Marcel Boloş, has announced. He has stressed again that the system designed to reduce VAT fraud, introduced on January 1 this year, will work in parallel with the classic one until the middle of this year, when it will become mandatory. Starting July 1, companies that do not report invoices electronically will be fined up to 5,000 lei (1,000 euros). Last year, following fiscal and anti-fraud inspections, the state collection budget was supplemented by 11 billion lei (2.2 billion euros), Minister Boloş also said.



    Handball. The European Mens Handball Championship starts in Germany on Wednesday, a competition that will end on January 28. Romania will play in Group B, along with Austria and the strong teams of Spain and Croatia. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the main groups. Romania had not qualified for a European Championship since 1996.



    Weather. The weather is cold in most of Romania, even frosty in the east. The severe weather of the last few days has affected this part of the country, where several localities were left without electricity. In Galati county (south-east), the red intervention plan was activated after a minibus with 17 passengers overturned due to powerful gusts of wind. The authorities temporarily closed traffic on several sections of the national road. Several trains are delayed on the railway. In Iaşi county (northeast), after the heavy snow and blizzard on Monday, the authorities agreed to keep schools, high schools and kindergartens closed today. The activity is also suspended in some educational units from other counties. (MI)


  • January 1, 2024

    January 1, 2024

    SCHENGEN The EU Council voted unanimously in favour of Romania’s and
    Bulgaria’s gradual accession to the passport-free Schengen Area, after Austria, the last member country opposing
    the measure, lifted its veto. As of March 2024, air and maritime border checks
    with these 2 countries will be abolished, with Austria, Bulgaria and Romania committing
    to also agree on a deadline for ending land border checks.The decision also comprises measures to
    tighten border checks and fighting illegal migration, so that Romania and
    Bulgaria will continue to receive substantial financial support and assistance
    from FRONTEX. The European Council president Charles Michel, the head of the
    European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Parliament Roberta
    Metsola and the EU Commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson are some of the
    EU leaders who have welcomed the decision.This
    is an important first step, Romania’s president said in his turn, and added
    that lifting land border checks as well remains a priority for Romania.


    PRICES The year 2024 begins with price
    rises for fuels and foodstuffs as well as for some services. For traditional,
    organic foodstuffs and for food products made in mountain regions, the VAT went
    up from 5% to 9%. Excises are also raised for tobacco, alcohol and soft drinks
    with high sugar content. Also, certain
    micro-enterprises will have to pay higher taxes on turnover, with tax increases
    also in place for banks, hotels and restaurants. Housing costs will also be higher, as the VAT in
    the real estate sector goes up from 5% to 9% for units worth up to EUR 120,000.
    Also as of January 1, meal and holiday vouchers are to be included in the total
    incomes for which health insurance contributions are paid. Analysts predict
    retail price increases will be substantial,
    and expect consumers to turn to cheaper products, while producers will lower the
    product weight in order to observe price caps.


    POLICE Close to 24,000 interior ministry staff are on duty
    during the 4-day New Year’s holiday, while road traffic is monitored by 360 radar
    speed guns and DUI check teams. Also, around 5,000 fire-fighters are on duty
    every day around the country, to provide emergency assistance if necessary. The
    border police also took steps to enhance border monitoring and to streamline
    vehicle and person transit at checkpoints. Meanwhile, the authorities announced
    having seized over 100 tonnes of fireworks kits and opening more than 500 criminal
    investigations in this respect, and have once again called on parents not to
    buy firecrackers for their children as such materials may be extremely
    dangerous.


    INVOICING Electronic invoicing is compulsory in Romania as of
    January 1 for all B2B transactions. The system entails benefits particularly in
    terms of curbing VAT frauds, the finance minister Marcel Boloş told a press
    conference. He also said that those who will not use the e-Invoicing system may
    receive sentences of 3 to 10 years in prison, if the new law on fighting
    economic and financial crime passes the Constitutional Court review. The
    authorities count on additional revenues of EUR 1 bln. Minister Boloş also said
    that in December the national tax authority’s directorate for large taxpayers
    secured a record-high total of EUR 3.2 bln in state budget revenues. On the
    other hand, the government extended a cap on the price of compulsory motor
    insurance policies, which will stay at the level in February 2023 until March
    next year. The Cabinet also passed a bill making insurance compulsory for
    electric bikes and scooters as well. (AMP)