Radio România Internațional

Tag: taxes

January 2, 2024 UPDATE

QUAKE Romania stands
by Japan in these difficult moments, the country’s president, Klaus Iohannis,
said in a message which he conveyed on Tuesday along with condolences for the
victims’ families. We recall that authorities in that country are in a
battle against time in their attempt to find survivors after the 7.6 magnitude
earthquake on Monday, which was followed by many aftershocks. According to
provisional tolls, scores have been killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed.
Numerous fires caused by broken pipelines have been reported in the north of
the Noto peninsula, close to the quake’s epicenter. With sub-zero temperatures
at night, rescuers are making great efforts to find survivors.

WEATHER
According to sources with the Environment Ministry, 2023 was the hottest year
in the history of Romania’s weather forecasts. The average temperature stood at
12.5 degrees centigrade, two degrees above the average of the period between
1981 and 2010. At the same time, the 2012-2023 interval becomes the hottest
period in the country’s history of weather forecasts. Last Christmas also
proved to be the hottest since the beginning of weather monitoring in Romania
with 21 degrees centigrade at Calafat, in the south. And according to
Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2023 was also the hottest in Europe, where
experts have again been cautioning against the ongoing global warming, as the
greenhouse gas emissions are growing. According to Romania’s Environment
Minister, Mircea Fechet, this means that the extreme weather phenomena will
increase in frequency and intensity causing more damage and killing more
people.

PRICE HIKES The new year has brought a
series of fiscal amendments to Romanians, ranging from new VAT rises to other
majored excises and taxes. Fines have also been raised, and companies reporting
over 50 million euros in turnover will be paying taxes of at least one percent
of their turnover. Tobacco excises have been raised and so has the VAT, which
stands between 9 and 19 % in certain products and services. A special tax has
been introduced for expensive goods, such as houses or cars, and authorities
have also raised excises for sweet products. Fuel excises are also getting
higher while experts believe the new fiscal measures will translate into a
higher inflation rate and a local currency that depreciates against the Euro.
Romania’s budget deficit this year has been estimated at 5% of the GDP with an
economic growth of 3.4%. 7% of the country’s GDP has been earmarked for
investment.

GAZA Israel has pulled out its
tanks from some parts of the Gaza city announcing a new stage in its war
against the terrorist group Hamas. The new change in Israel’s tactics involves
the partial pull out of its troops from the Gaza Strip and an increased focus
on smaller-scale targeted operations. Israel says one of the key objectives is
the complete elimination of the Hamas threat and the release of the hostages
still kept by the famous terrorist group. According to Radio Romania
correspondent in Israel, the attempts to release the Israeli hostages, which
seemed to be compromised at a certain point, have these days been given a fresh
impetus thanks to the mediation efforts of Qatar and Egypt. The war in Gaza,
which broke out after the attack on Israel masterminded and conducted by the
terrorist group Hamas on October 7, when 12 hundred people were killed and 240
kidnapped, has so far caused the death of roughly 22 thousand Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip. At the same time, most of the region’s 2.3 million people
residents has been displaced.

(bill)

2 January 2024
January 2, 2024

PRICE HIKES The new year has brought a
series of fiscal amendments to the Romanians, ranging from new VAT rises to other
majored excises and taxes. Fines have also been raised, and companies reporting
over 50 million euros in turnover will pay taxes of at least one percent of
their turnover. Tobacco excises have been raised and there are VAT raises
between 9 and 19 % for certain products and services. A special tax has been
introduced for expensive goods, such as houses and cars as well as raised
excises for sweet products. Fuel excises have also been raised and experts
believe the new fiscal measures will translate into a higher inflation and a depreciated
local currency against the Euro. Romania’s budget deficit this year has been
estimated at 5% of the GDP with an economic growth of 3.4%. 7% of the country’s
GDP has been earmarked for investment.

QUAKE Authorities in Japan are in
a battle against time in their attempt to find survivors after the 7.6
magnitude earthquake on Monday, which was followed by many aftershocks.
According to provisional tolls, scores have been killed and hundreds of
buildings destroyed. Numerous fires caused by broken pipelines have been
reported in the north of the Noto peninsula, close to the quake’s epicenter. As
temperatures went below zero at night, rescuers are making great efforts to
find survivors.

GAZA Israel has pulled out its
tanks from some parts of the Gaza city announcing a new stage in its war
against the terrorist group Hamas. The new change in Israel’s tactics involves
the partial pull out of its troops from the Gaza Strip and an increased focus
on smaller-scale targeted operations. Israel says one of the key objectives is
the complete elimination of the Hamas threat and the release of the hostages
still kept by the famous terrorist group. According to Radio Romania
correspondent in Israel, the attempts to release the Israeli hostages, which seemed
to be compromised at a certain point, have these days been given a fresh
impetus thanks to the mediation efforts of Qatar and Egypt. The war in Gaza,
which broke out after the attack on Israel masterminded and conducted by the
terrorist group Hamas on October 7, when 12 hundred people were killed and 240
kidnapped, has so far caused the death of roughly 22 thousand Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip. At the same time, most of the region’s 2.3 million people
residents has been displaced.

WEATHER The
weather remains warm in Romania with temperatures higher than those usually
registered at this time of the year. Showers have been reported in small areas
in the country’s south-east. Wind has intensified at higher altitudes in the
mountainous area of the Eastern and Western Carpathians. The highs of the day
are ranging between 4 and 12 degrees Celsius while the capital city Bucharest
reports higher temperatures than usual for the winter season, of at least 10-11
degrees Celsius.

(bill)

2 January 2024
November 17, 2023 UPDATE

BUDGET PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that there will be no new
taxes next year and that the Romanian government will have money by fighting
tax evasion. According to him, in October, revenue collection to the state
budget reached a record level, around EUR 8. By keeping the same pace and
maintaining non-essential expenses under control, the PM added, by the end of
the year we will meet the deficit target agreed with the European Commission.
The statement comes after, recently, the Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă argued
that Romania cannot afford an increase in taxes next year and that funding
sources must be found to support the draft pensions law.

POVERTY
One in 5 Romanians was affected by poverty in 2022, the National Statistics
Institute reported. The number of people in need was 4.2 million, slightly
below the figure reported in the previous year. The highest poverty rate was
reported among youth up to 24 years of age, with the poverty rate for
households with children and youth 5.2% higher than in households without dependent
children and youth. The National Statistics Institute also said that, without
pension and other welfare payments, nearly half of the population would have
been below the poverty threshold, and the situation would have been even worse
among the elderly.

VISIT
Romania and Tanzania have agreed on mutual student grant programmes. The
president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis had a meeting with his counterpart, Samia
Suluhu Hassan in the capital city Dar es Salaam on Friday, and discussed the
development of this country’s relations with the EU. Tanzania may count on
Romania as regards promoting and encouraging its relations with the EU, president
Iohannis said after the meeting. He presented Romania’s view on giving a fresh
impetus to the country’s relations with African states, based on the recently
adopted National Strategy for Africa. Iohannis also said agreements were
reached on bilateral cooperation in areas like education, civil protection,
agriculture, forestry, IT and cyber security. In turn, the president of Tanzania
announced that Romania decided to provide 10 grants for students from Tanzania,
which in turn will be providing 5 grants to young Romanians who wish to study
there. Two memorandums were also signed on disaster risk management and
cooperation and research in agriculture. The president of Romania is on a tour
in Africa, which began on Tuesday in Kenya. On Saturday, Klaus Iohannis will be
received by the president of Zanzibar, Hussein Mwinyi, and then he will travel
to the Republic of Cabo Verde, for talks with president Jose Maria Neves. The
tour concludes on November 23 in Senegal, with political consultations with
president Macky Sall.

MILITARY The Romanian
company Aerostar, based in Bacău, eastern Romania, Friday signed a cooperation
agreement with Derco Aerospace (a member of the US group Lockheed Martin),
concerning technology transfer for the repair of F-16 aircraft equipment operated
by the Romanian Army. Attending the event was NATO’s deputy secretary general
Mircea Geoană. He said NATO was interested in 2 goals-expanding the defence
industry in all member states and creating an innovation ecosystem for dual-use
industries (civilian and military), benefiting the newer NATO member states.
The agreement was signed just days after the opening of the first European F-16
training centre, at the Feteşti air base in the south-east of Romania, and capitalises on 26 years of cooperation between Lockheed Martin and Romania.

FOOTBALL
Romania’s national football team are in Hungary for a match against Israel on
Saturday evening, in Qualifying Group I of the 2024 European Championship to be
hosted by Germany. Because of the war at home, the Israelis had to postpone
their October-November matches, and to play abroad the matches scheduled at
home. Romania completes the qualifying stage on Tuesday, in Bucharest, with a match
against Switzerland. Undefeated in the first eight matches, Romania has 16
points and is behind group leader Switzerland on goal difference. Next comes
Israel, with 11 points, and Kosovo, with 10 points. The two top-ranking teams
in each group go to the final tournament. Romania last qualified for a final European
tournament in 2016 and for a World Cup in 1998. (AMP)

17 November 2023
17.11.2023 (mise à jour)

Taxes -
Le premier ministre roumain Marcel Ciolacu a confirmé jeudi que son
gouvernement n’introduira aucune nouvelle taxe dans le courant de l’année
prochaine. Pour encourager les collectes budgétaires, son cabinet luttera contre
l’évasion fiscale, a-t-il précisé. Selon lui, au mois d’octobre, la collecte
des recettes a franchi le seuil record de 8 milliards d’euros. Si le
gouvernement arrive à préserver le même rythme, la cible de déficit budgétaire
agréée avec la Commission européenne sera atteinte d’ici la fin de l’année,
rassure le premier ministre. Cette déclaration intervient après que le
président du PNL, Nicolae Ciuca a récemment affirmé que la Roumanie ne se
permettait pas une majoration de taxes en 2024 et que le gouvernement devrait
donc identifier de nouvelles sources de financement pour soutenir le projet de
la loi des retraites.

Pauvreté
– La pauvreté a touché un Roumain sur cinq, en 2022, soit un total de 4,2 millions
de personnes, a fait savoir l’Institut national de la statistique de Bucarest.
Le taux de pauvreté le plus élevé a été enregistré parmi les jeunes de moins de
24 ans. Selon l’Institut national de la statistique, si l’année dernière l’Etat
n’avait pas versé les retraites et d’autres allocations et indemnités sociales,
près de la moitié de la population roumaine aurait été en situation de
pauvreté, notamment les personnes âgées.

Afrique – La Roumanie et la Tanzanie ont décidé d”accorder
réciproquement des bourses d’études aux jeunes étudiants des deux pays. Arrivé
dans la capitale tanzanienne, le chef de
l’Etat roumain, Klaus Iohannis a rencontré son homologue, Samia Suluhu Hassan
avec laquelle il a discuté des relations entre la Tanzanie et l’UE. La Tanzanie
peut compter sur l’appui de la Roumanie afin de renforcer ses rapports avec la
communauté européenne, a précisé le responsable roumain. Et lui de présenter la
vision de Bucarest sur la relance de ses relations avec les pays africains,
dans le contexte où la Roumanie a adopté récemment la Stratégie nationale pour
l’Afrique. Les pourparlers de vendredi, de Dar es Salaam, ont porté sur un
renforcement des relations bilatérales dans différents domaines tels
l’éducation, la protection civile, l’agriculture, la sylviculture, les
technologies de l’Information et la cybersécurité. Pour sa part, la présidente
tanzanienne a salué la décision de la Roumanie d’accorder dix bourses aux
étudiants de son pays qui, à son tour, offrira cinq bourses aux jeunes roumains
désireux de faire des études en Tanzanie. Deux mémorandums ont été également
signés, l’un sur la gestion du risque de désastres et l’autre sur la
coopération et la recherche dans le domaine agricole. Klaus Iohannis fait une
tournée en Afrique qui, après le Kenya et la Tanzanie, le mènera à Zanzibar, au
Cap vert et au Sénégal.

Gaza -
16 ressortissants roumains et leurs familles, évacués de la Bande de Gaza sont
rentrés vendredi, en Roumanie, à bord d’un vol de la compagnie aérienne TAROM.
Dans un premier temps, 17 Roumains et leurs familles sont arrivés en Egypte par
le poste-frontière de Rafah, accompagnés jusqu’au Caire par les représentants
du ministère roumain des Affaires Etrangères. Jusqu’à présent 237
ressortissants roumains évacués de la Bande de Gaza sont rentrés en Roumanie.

Signature
– Les usines Aérostar de Bacau ont signé vendredi un contrat de collaboration
avec la compagnie américaine, Derco Aérospace, qui fait partie de l’entreprise
de défense et sécurité américaine Lockheed Martin. Le contrat permettra le
transfert des technologies nécessaires aux réparations des trains
d’atterrissage, des roues et des systèmes de freinage des avions F-16 dont la
Roumanie s’est dotée récemment. La signature s’est déroulée en présence de
l’adjoint au secrétaire général de l’OTAN, le roumain Mircea Geoana.Et
lui de préciser que l’OTAN se propose d’atteindre simultanément deux objectifs :
élargir sa base industrielle et technologique de défense dans tous les pays
alliés et développer un écosystème d’innovation pour les industries aussi bien
civiles que militaires dont bénéficient des pays nouvellement intégrés. La
signature de l’accord survient quelques jours après l’inauguration, sur la base
roumaine de Fetesti, du premier centre européen de formation pour les pilotes
des avions F-16.

Podgorica -
La cheffe de la diplomatie de Bucarest, Luminita Odobescu, a fait jeudi une
visite au Monténégro, la première d’un chef de la diplomatie roumaine dans ce
pays, depuis l’installation de l’actuel gouvernement pro-européen. A l’agenda
de la visite : des pourparlers avec le ministre des Affaires Etrangères
Filip Ivanovic, avec le président Jakov Milatovic et le premier ministre
Milojko Spajic. Les discussions ont porté sur la consolidation du dialogue
bilatéral, y compris par l’intensification des relations au sommet. Luminiţa
Odobescu a reconfirmé le soutien ferme de la Roumanie à la poursuite du processus
d’intégration européenne des Etats des Balkans, y compris du Monténégro.

Foot
– La sélection nationale de foot de Roumanie affronte samedi l’équipe d’Israël
au sein du Groupe I des éliminatoires du Championnat d’Europe de football 2024.
Vu la situation dans l’État hébreu, les matchs éliminatoires pour l’Euro de
l’année prochaine auront lieu dans d’autres pays. Le dernier match des
tricolores roumains aura lieu mardi, à Bucarest, contre la sélection suisse.
Après huit victoires, la Roumanie a 16 points et elle se classe juste derrière la
Suisse, leader du groupe. Israël vient derrière la Roumanie avec 11 points, alors
que le Kosovo est en quatrième position avec 10 points. La dernière
participation de la Roumanie à un tournoi final de l’Euro de foot date de 2016.

Météo
– En Roumanie, il fait froid et des pluies tombent sur l’ouest et le
sud-ouest. Il neige à la montagne.

17 November 2023
Conclusions of the IMF mission in Romania

The recently adopted fiscal package is a step in the right direction but further adjustment is need, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation that assessed, until Wednesday, the state of the Romanian economy said in a press release. IMF experts have forecast a 2.3% economic growth for Romania this year and a budget deficit of 6% of the GDP and recommended the Romanian authorities to implement additional reforms accounting for 2% of the GDP. To this end, key measures to be considered are the elimination of remaining exemptions, privileges and loopholes, further VAT streamlining, implementing the reformed property tax and using tax policy to promote the efficient use of energy and, more broadly, foster the transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

According to the international experts, the new tax package improves policy design in some areas. It broadens the tax base and improves revenues by limiting exemptions for workers in the agricultural, construction, food processing and IT sectors, and by limiting the number of goods subject to reduced VAT rates. The new fiscal package will improve public finances in 2024 and beyond by about 1 percent of GDP, resulting in a deficit of just above 5 percent of GDP, in 2024. However, fiscal deficits will need to fall below 3 percent of GDP, as agreed with the European Commission, to stabilize public debt over the medium term, help secure necessary market financing at lower interest rates, and support ongoing disbursement of EU funds. According to the IMF experts, increasing the predictability of expenditure with salaries and pensions is welcome, but the Governments decision to control the price of food products is not the right strategy to lower the prices.

Moreover, the head of the IMF mission, Jan Kees Martijn, warned that it could be challenging to implement fiscal consolidation and the next steps under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) during a year with multiple elections such as 2024. He also said that additional taxes for banks put increase the burden on companies and could impact their financial results.

Among the measures recommended by the IMF mission, is also improvement in administration and a good planning of fiscal policy, which should be communicated in a clear manner, so as to offer predictability to both companies and the population. Also needed is, according to the international experts, new investment and budget allocations to education and healthcare, to bring them to EU level.

On their last day in Bucharest, the IMF experts met with the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu. He said the IMF recommendations, which are similar to those of the World Bank and the European Commission are already taken into account. At present, the Government focuses on reducing budget spending and fighting tax evasion and the bill for which it took responsibility in Parliament creates the general framework for the fiscal reform the Government wants to conduct. Marcel Ciolacu estimates that Romania will have one of the biggest economic growth rates in the EU this year and that the measures taken will help the country overcome the difficult situation experienced lately. (EE)

5 October 2023
September 29, 2023 UPDATE

TAXES USR and the Force of the Right parties in
opposition in Romania Friday notified the Constitutional Court with respect to
the set of fiscal measures for which the Government has recently assumed
responsibility. The 2 parties argue that many
provisions in the bill are against the Constitution. Two members of the
National Liberal Party (in the ruling coalition) have also signed the
notification, the USR floor group leader Ionuţ Moşteanu said. According to him,
the Cabinet has initiated a reform which is not implemented consistently and violates
the principle of judicial security. The move by USR was criticised by another
Opposition party, AUR, which is collecting signatures in Parliament to table a
no-confidence motion. The finance minister, Marcel Boloş, claims however that
the set of fiscal measures endorsed by the government is needed for Romania’s
modernisation process, and a failure to solve the budget deficit issue would
jeopardise the payment of EUR 75 billion in EU funding for Romania’s
development projects.

FUNDING Romania has received from the European Commission EUR 2.7
bln in response to the second disbursement application under the National
Recovery and Resilience Plan, submitted in December. The finance minister
Marcel Boloş says Romania is among the first countries in the Union to complete
the steps required for obtaining a second instalment of the funds. In a social
media post, he said Romania has so far received combined payments of nearly EUR
10 bln in grants and loans, out of the EUR 29 bln earmarked for the country
under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

MOTORWAY The Development Ministry in Bucharest has approved a EUR 6
bln investment for the mountain segment of the A8 Motorway, between Miercurea
Nirajului (centre) and Leghin (north-east). The approx. 160-km segment
includes 47 tunnels and over 250 overpasses. The project is to be approved in a
Cabinet meeting, and then a bid would be initiated for the procurement of
design and construction works. The project is to be finalised in 54 months. The
Union Motorway (Târgu Mureş-Iaşi-Ungheni) will be over 300 km long, but so far contracts
have only been signed for the 30 km between Leghin and Târgu Neamţ.

EXHIBITION Nearly 100 works are included in the most
important exhibition in the past 50 years in Romania devoted to the great
sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. The exhibition opens on Saturday in western
Romania as part of the Timişoara – European Capital of Culture programme.
Sculptures, photos, archive documents and video materials will be on display at
the National Art Museum in the city until the end of January. The works, whose
insured value is half a billion euros, come from public and private collections
in Romania and abroad, including famous galleries such as the Pompidou centre in
Paris and Tate in London.

DEFENCE Romania will procure all the military equipment needed to
enhance the security at the Black Sea, the Romanian defence minister Angel
Tîlvăr said during a visit at a military equipment producer in Timişoara. He
emphasised that Romania is a safe country and not involved in any conflict with
anyone, but that incidents such as the Russian drone falling on Romanian
territory are still possible. We are doing our best and have made public the
additional measures we took after drone pieces were found in Romania, he added.
He also mentioned the Army is still interested in attracting young members,
especially since a large number of military staff have retired recently. (AMP)

29 September 2023
Government pushes on with tax and budget measures

The
bill that the Government of Romania is seeking to push through Parliament is
intended to increase the effectiveness of the fight against tax evasion, to
curb the squandering of public funds and to ensure tax equity by scrapping
exemptions and privileges.

Under
the new legislation, all employees will pay public healthcare contributions,
including the staff in constructions and agriculture, who benefited from
exemptions so far, while IT personnel with salaries above EUR 2,000 a month
will now have to pay income taxes as well.

On
the other hand, public sector staff with salaries above EUR 1,600 will no
longer receive holiday vouchers and meal allowances. A special tax is
introduced for owners of houses worth over EUR 500,000, unless they have taken
out bank loans to pay for them. Large companies and banks will pay a 1% tax on
turnover.

As
for the VAT, there are no substantial changes. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, the
9% rate for foodstuffs and medicines and the 5% rate for power, firewood,
natural gas and books will stay in place.

The
PM dismisses claims that these are austerity measures. But, he says, Romania
can no longer afford to grant privileges and facilities amounting to EUR 15
bln, nor can it allow tax evasion to account for 15% of its GDP (i.e. EUR 30 bln
a year). Marcel Ciolacu mentioned that minimum wages will be raised by 10%,
while in the constructions sector the raise will reach 12.5%.

The
PM argues that this set of measures will implement the most ambitious reform of
the public sector in post-communist Romania. The Opposition, however,
criticises the draft law and says it must be stopped by all constitutional
means available.

According
to procedure, one such option is a no-confidence vote, which would lead to
dismissing the Cabinet if the Opposition wins. But this is only possible in
theory, given that the actual parliamentary make-up favours the Social
Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, the current ruling coalition. Another
option is to challenge the bill before the Constitutional Court.

But
the most dangerous scenario would be for the new measures to be invalidated by
economic reality. The Economic and Social Council, an independent body, has
already passed a negative opinion on the legislation, stating that the measures
to cut public expenditure are unconvincing and will have a negative impact on
the economy. In the past, covering the budget deficit by increasing the tax
burden on the business sector ended up having the opposite effect, and very
likely revenues to the state budget would decrease instead of going up, the
Council warns. (AMP)

26 September 2023
September 21, 2023

ACCIDENT A
criminal investigation was initiated with respect to the blast that occurred last
night on a gas pipeline on the Moldova Motorway construction site in eastern
Romania, in which four people died and 5 others were injured. Two men with burn
wounds affecting 30% and 40% of their bodies, respectively, were transferred to hospitals in
Bucharest. Prosecutors are investigating manslaughter and bodily harm offences,
as well as failure to take or observe work safety measures. According to the
Vrancea Emergency Inspectorate, the blast was caused by the construction works
conducted in the vicinity of the pipeline, which was also carrying natural gas
to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.

TAXES The
Cabinet had a first discussion on the set of measures aimed at the long-term
rebalancing of the state budget and at facilitating the absorption of tens of
billions in EU funding. Apart from cutting down public
spending, the bill focuses on fighting tax evasion, introduces taxes on large
profits and wealth, and eliminates tax privileges. Ahead of the Cabinet meeting,
the measures were discussed in the three-party Social Dialogue Council, which
brings together government officials and representatives of employer
associations and trade unions.

UN The wider
Black Sea area must be protected against the effects of Russia’s war against
Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in his address at the UN
General Assembly in New York. The Romanian official added that his country
would not let down its most vulnerable partners, and mentioned the transit of
Ukrainian grain via Romania, a topic he also approached in talks with the
president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of the European
Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Bulgaria’s deputy prime minister, Mariya
Gabriel. President Iohannis also said Romania was concerned with the effects of
climate change, of pollution, of energy insecurity, and is making visible
efforts to fight them. According to him, climate education is a priority for
Romania, and the climate-security interconnection should rank higher on the UN
agenda. Stay tuned for more details on the Romanian president’s address at the
UN after the news.

WHEAT Egypt’s General
Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) announced having purchased 120,000
tonnes of wheat from Romania in an international purchasing tender, Reuters
reports. GASC also said that since early June Cairo has imported approx. 2.14
million tonnes of wheat, mainly from Russia (1.5 million tonnes) and Romania
(420,000 tonnes). Egypt is the world’s largest wheat buyer, mainly for its
national bread subsidy programme benefiting more than 70 million of its 103
million citizens.

BUCHAREST The
Romanian capital city is celebrating these days 564 years since its first
mention in official documents. Maps, plans, archive images and 3-dimensional
scale models showcasing the 19th Century history of the city are
displayed in an exhibition opened until Sunday at the ARCUB Cultural Centre. On
Saturday, around 200 arts high school students will dance in front of the
National History Museum of Romania, and the music of old-time Bucharest will be
performed in the George Enescu Festival Square in front of the Romanian
Athenaeum. (AMP)

21 September 2023
The new fiscal law package at a first reading

The PSD-PNL government coalition in Bucharest on
Wednesday night held its first talks over the new series of measures aimed at
attaining a long-term balanced state budget and easing the EU-fund absorption. The
country’s Finance Minister, Marcel Boloş, recalls that Romania has pledged to clear
the 4.4% budget deficit target. And if it fails to achieve that, it runs the
risk of seeing major EU fund cuts from the European Commission, funds, which
are crucial in the process of streamlining the country’s infrastructure,
including motorways, hospitals and schools.

Marcel Boloş: We have 46
billion euros in the cohesion policy and another 29.3 in the National Plan of
Recovery and Resilience. So we are talking Romania’s future here, 75 billion euros,
which we cannot afford being suspended.

Besides cutting on public expenses, the Executive also
wants to fight tax evasion, to improve income taxation and cut fiscal
privileges. In an attempt to reduce the anxiety caused by the upcoming higher taxes
and prices, the same Finance Minister says that prices will indeed be raised while
banks and small enterprises will be paying higher taxes, but the VAT will rise only
for some categories of goods and services

Marcel Boloş: Food
stuff will stay around 9%, and so will medicine, but medical prostheses for
disabled people will remain at 0% VAT. At the same time we are going to have 5%
for firewood, thermal energy, gas, everything that means household consumption.

Before the government session, the new
fiscal-budgetary measures had been tackled by the Three-party Social Dialogue
Council, a body made up of representatives of the government, employers’
associations and trade unions.

According to their president Florin Jianu, The
Employers’ Associations seem to be contented with the decision as they got the
promise the measures will be applied as of January 1st 2024 and the
VAT in the hospitality industry will remain unchanged.

Florin Jianu: The
hospitality industry will have a 9% VAT, a very good thing for this sector. Had
the VAT been raised in this sector we would have completely lost
competitiveness against our Bulgarian neighbors.

Trade unions, however, are dissatisfied with the
decision that holiday vouchers be given only to state employees with salaries
up to 16 hundred euros. In response Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel
Ciolacu said:

Marcel Ciolacu With a state salary of 8.000 lei, one cannot apply for
holiday vouchers, neither for food allowances. Employees with low salaries will
continue to get vouchers, even at a higher value, but it’s totally unfair to
give them to the employees with high salaries.

Prime Minister Ciolacu is to present next week in
Parliament the aforementioned package of fiscal-budgetary measures for which
its Executive will assume responsibility.

The new measures, which have attracted a lot of heat
from the opposition, have been described by the country’s president, Klaus
Iohannis, as a step in the right direction.

(bill)

21 September 2023
September 19, 2023

UN The president of Romania
Klaus Iohannis takes part in the UN General Assembly in New York, and is
to attend the summit on Sustainable Development Goals. In his address, Mr.
Iohannis will reiterate Romania’s firm support for efficient multilateralism,
compliance with international law and a rule-based international
order. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, the General Assembly
session is affected by global divisions, deepened by recurrent crises and in
particular by Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr
Zelenskyy will attend the meeting for the first time since the war in his
country started, and is to address today leaders from around the world present
in New York. The US president Joe Biden will also give his traditional speech
before the Assembly and will plead for stronger action to fight global warming,
and for continuing support to Ukraine for as long as necessary.

TAXES The
Romanian finance ministry has released for public review a draft law on new tax
and budget related measures, after nearly 2 months of negotiations between the
2 members of the ruling coalition, the Social Democrats and the National
Liberals. Under the bill, micro-enterprises will have to pay a 1% tax on
revenues under EUR 60,000, and 3% if their turnover is above this threshold. The
same tax will be levied on software development companies, judicial activities
or healthcare assistance firms. The employees in constructions and in the food
industry will have to pay healthcare insurance contributions, while IT staff
will pay a tax on revenues for all amounts over EUR 2,000. A minimum tax on
revenues is also introduced for large companies, while banks will have to pay
an additional 1% tax. The government will take responsibility for this set of
measures by the end of this month, so that the bill may take effect on October
1. According to the authorities, the new provisions will help narrow the budget
deficit and avoid losing billions of Euros in EU funding.

CANNABIS The Senate of Romania Tuesday
voted against a bill to decriminalise possession of up to 3 grams of cannabis
for personal use, and to replace criminal penalties with fines ranging from EUR
200 to 600. The bill was tabled by a group of non-affiliated MPs, and is next
to be voted on in the Chamber of Deputies.

GRAINS Bulgarian
farmers carry on protests against resuming the imports of Ukrainian grains,
accepted by the Bulgarian government after the European Commission decided not
to extend the ban on such imports. In turn, Bucharest continues to allow the
transit of Ukrainian grains, but has introduced one-month import restrictions
until Kyiv comes up with a plan for its exports. The measure persuaded Romanian
farmers to give up their protests. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary unilaterally
banned imports of Ukrainian grain, prompting Kyiv to complain against them at
the World Trade Organisation. We have more on this after the news.

AID
Romania has sent a second installment of aid to flood-devastated Libya. Two C-130
airctaft of the Romanian Air Forces have 6 trips planned to deliver 55 tonnes of
food products and other emergency aid. Libya will also receive over EUR 5 mln
for shelters, food, water, and medicines. The death toll so far is over 11,000,
while another 10,000 people are still missing.

FESTIVAL
The George Enescu International Music Festival in Bucharest has reached its
final week. Until Sunday, the public are invited to attend free of charge
classical music concerts held in the Festival Square near the Romanian
Athenaeum, where celebrated orchestras from Romania and the Republic of Moldova
will accompany famous soloists and instrumentalists. The Radio Romania Big Band
conducted by Simona Strungaru, will give a concert on Friday. On Sunday, the last
performance in the Festival will be given by the Camerata Regală orchestra with
the percussionist Zoli Toth. (AMP)

19 September 2023
July 31, 2023

TAXES Fresh talks are scheduled today in
the Cabinet on tax-related measures designed to rebalance the state budget.
The Social Democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu is to have meetings with the finance
minister Marcel Boloș, and a report is expected from the national tax agency
with respect to revenue collection. The ruling coalition is considering tax
increases and the elimination of certain tax facilities, as well as the
cancelling of 200,000 public sector positions that are currently vacant and a
reduction of expenditure in ministries. According to the PM, the proposed
measures will be implemented in 3 stages, beginning on September 1, October 1 and
January 1, 2024.

VEHICLES The local segment of the car
scrapping programme Rablaˮ started today, in an effort by the Romanian
authorities to get heavily polluting vehicles out of circulation. Apart from
the funds provided by the Environment Ministry, local authorities contribute
20% of the vouchers granted to citizens who de-register cars older than 15
years. In a first stage in April, town halls enrolled in this programme, and as
of today citizens may apply for the funds available in the programme, no later
than the end of August. The Environment Ministry earmarked some EUR 50 mln for
this programme, and estimates around 100,000 polluting cars will be scrapped.

CONCERT The Bucharest National Opera
orchestra Sunday night performed for the first time at the Musikverein hall in
Vienna, which hosts the traditional New Year’s concert in the Austrian capital
city. The concert was a tribute to the Romanian composer Ciprian
Porumbescu, as the year 2023 was declared the year of Ciprian Porumbescu, to
mark 170 years since the birth and 140 years since the death of the famous
composer. The programme consisted exclusively of works by Ciprian Porumbescu:
New Moon, the first Romanian operetta, the Ballad, the
Romanian Rhapsody. The soloists, choir and orchestra of the
National Opera House in Bucharest were conducted by Daniel Jinga, with special
guests including maestro Gheorghe Zamfir and the soloist Maria Coman.

TRAINING The training ship Mircea has today
returned to the military port of Constanţa, after a 28-day training session in
the Mediterranean. On board were 64 sophomore students with the Mircea cel
Bătrân Naval Academy, as well as 10 exchange students from partner
academies in Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, Latvia, Italy and Spain. The training
ship had stopovers in the ports of Piraeus in Greece, Taranto in Italy and Izmir
in Turkey, and completed an over 2,200 mile journey.

UKRAINE Ukraine has today confirmed that
Saudi Arabia will host a peace summit aimed, according to Kyiv, at restoring
peace in line with the Ukrainian formula, EFE reports. According to the head
of Ukraine’s presidential office Andriy Yermak, apart from guaranteeing peace
for Ukraine, the 10-point formula will create mechanisms to counter future conflicts. For
Kyiv, the formula includes the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory.
According to Western diplomats, the choice of Saudi Arabia to host the talks is
designed to facilitate the participation of China, which has good relations
with Moscow and with Riyadh.

SPORTS PM Marcel Ciolacu congratulated the
Romanian athletes and coaches who took part in the European Youth Olympic
Festival hosted this year by Maribor (Slovenia). He said Romania once again
confirmed its rebirth as a sports powerhouse after it finished the competition
with 20 medals, shoulder to shoulder with France, which came 3rd in
the final ranking. Their result reconfirms their hard work, talent and the
pride of proving to the world that we are a country which, in spite of
difficulties, remains able to cultivate the spirit required of great champions,ˮ
Ciolacu said. Romania’s performance at this year’s European Youth Olympic
Festival was the best after the ones in a Bath (1995) and Paris (2003). (AMP)

31 July 2023
July 17, 2023

SUMMIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis
takes part on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels in the 3rd summit of
the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The main goal of the summit is to revive the partnership
between the EU and Latin American countries, in the context of current
geopolitical developments, including Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to
the Romanian presidency, Mr. Iohannis will highlight the importance of the
cooperation between the 2 regions for the management of new global challenges,
of the complex challenges facing both regions, and of the new development
opportunities that may be capitalised on through enhanced cooperation. The
Romanian president will also emphasise that Romania’s active commitment to a
closer cooperation between the 2 regions was reconfirmed in all his meetings
with his counterparts, during his official visits to Brazil, Chile and
Argentina this April.

GOVERNMENT The
Social Democratic MPs Natalia Intotero and Simona Bucura-Oprescu have been
appointed by their party leaders today as the new ministries for family and
labour, respectively. The 2 positions were vacant after the resignation of Gabrielei
Firea as minister for family and of Marius Budăi as labour minister, following
a scandal concerning care home abuses in Ilfov County, near the capital
Bucharest, where prosecutors are investigating organised crime groups exploiting
vulnerable people. Simona Bucura-Oprescu chairs the Committee on public
administration and country planning in the Chamber of Deputies. She was elected
as Deputy for Argeş County as a Social Democratic candidate, first in 2012, and
then in 2016 and 2020. Natalia Intotero was a minister for the Romanian
diaspora in 2018-2019 and a state secretary with the Foreign Ministry. She is
also at her 3rd term in office as an MP, and since December 2020 she
has been chairing the Chamber’s committee on education.

TAXATION The government of Romania is looking at a set of
tax increases to be applied as of September 1 in order to offset the budget
deficit. The planned changes include a new 1% tax on residential buildings
worth over EUR 500,000, and higher taxes on tobacco products and gambling. According
to governmental sources, 2 VAT rates will remain in force, with a 9% tax rate
for foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and prostheses, and a 19% rate for other
products and services. The government is also considering the introduction of
public health insurance contributions for employees in agriculture and
constructions, thus eliminating current exemptions in these sectors. Additional
taxes will be charged on transfers by companies that move their profits out of
the country. As many as 85.8% of the small and medium-sized enterprises are
against these proposed amendments to the Fiscal Code, the SME Council president
Florin Jianu says.

CULTURE This week’s agenda of the Timişoara – European Capital
of Culture programme includes theatre, performing arts, cinema, exhibitions and
gastronomy. The world-famous US actor John Malkovich stars in The Infernal
Comedy staged by the National Theatre in Timişoara, supported by the Vienna
Academy Orchestra, in 3 sold-out performances on Thursday and Friday. On
Tuesday, the Revolution Memorial Museum opens an exhibition on The Berlin
Wall, a border through Germany, and Wednesday sees the first screening of a travel
documentary by Florin Iepan, entitled My journey to Romania – Letter from
Timişoara, depicting the city as seen by a Norwegian traveller, Christoffer
Johansen.

SPORTS Romanian
football champions Farul Constanţa take on Sheriff Tiraspol, of the R. of
Moldova, on Tuesday night, in the Champions League’s first qualifying round. In the first leg, Farul won 1-0 on home
turf. The winning team is next to play against the winner of the round pitting Maccabi Haifa (Israel) against Hamrun Spartans (Malta), in
which the Israeli side won the first leg 4-0. Three
Romanian teams are playing in Conference League as well. In the 2nd
qualifying round, former champions CFR Cluj take on Adana Demirspor, of Turkey.
Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe are pitting against CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), while
vice-champions FCSB (Bucharest) are facing CSKA 1948 Sofia. The first leg is
scheduled for July 27, with the return leg due a week later. (AMP)

17 July 2023
28.04.2023 (mise à jour)

Produits agricoles – L’Union européenne a décidé de prolonger d’une année supplémentaire la suspension des taxes de douanes et des quotas aux importations en provenance d’Ukraine afin de soutenir l’économie de celle-ci durant la guerre déclenchée par la Russie. C’est ce qu’a annoncé la Suède qui détient la présidence tournante du bloc communautaire. Rappelons-le, la suspension de ces taxes a généré des mécontentements parmi les fermiers de plusieurs pays et a culminé par l’interdiction début avril des importations de céréales ukrainiennes vers la Pologne, la Hongrie et la Slovaquie. La commission européenne a désormais proposé le payement de dédommagements envers les fermiers de cinq Etats qui s’avoisinent avec l’Ukraine, dont la Roumanie. L’UE envisage également de permettre à ces pays d’interdire la commercialisation de certaines céréales d’Ukraine sur leurs marchés. Mais les cinq Etats doivent toujours permettre le transit des produits agricoles ukrainiens, pour qu’ils soient commercialisés dans d’autres régions.

UDMR – Les représentants de l’Union démocrate magyare de Roumanie, membre de la coalition gouvernementale, se sont réunis dans le cadre d’un congrès à Timisoara, dans l’ouest de la Roumanie. L’actuel leader du parti, le vice-premier minitre Kelemen Hunor, se porte candidat pour un nouveau mandat de président. Selon lui, dans le cadre d’un congrès, les participants doivent également adopter un document stratégique illustrant les priorités de la Roumanie et de la communauté magyare pour les années à venir dans les domaines économique, social, politique et des droits des minorités nationales. L’Union démocrate magyare de Roumanie souhaite rester au pouvoir aussi après le changement du premier ministre, prévu pour la fin mai, a déclaré Kelemen Hunor. Celui-ci a reçu des assurances fermes à cet égard. Egalement invités au congrès : les leaders du PNL et du PSD, soit les principaux partis de la coalition tripartite, le premier ministre Nicolae Ciuca et respectivement le président de la Chambre des Députés Marcel Ciolacu.

Education nationale – Le taux l’alphabétisation des élèves roumains âgés de 6 à 14 ans est très bas, puisque seuls 11% d’entre eux figurent dans la catégorie « fonctionnels », selon les chiffres de l’édition 2023 du Rapport national de lettrisme. Conformément à ce document, réalisé par la plateforme de tests standardisés pour les élèves brio.ro, aux côtés de sept autres organisations non-profit du secteur de l’éducation, les résultats sont similaires à celles de l’année dernière, sans aucun changement notable. « 42% des enfants sont analphabètes fonctionnels, 47 sont alphabétisés au minimum et seuls 11% sont des lettrés fonctionnels. L’école ne fait pas grand-chose pour les aider, … presque tout ce que les enfants apprennent à l’école est mécanique. Nos enfants ne réussissent pas à avoir leur propre réflexion sur les textes qu’ils lisent et ne réussissent pas à faire des inférences logiques et seront carrément incapables d’interagir avec tout type de texte », a déclaré le directeur exécutif de la plate-forme brio.ro, Gabi Barctic. Les compétences de lettrisme reflètent la capacité d’une personne de se rapporter à un texte. Un lecteur compétent peut comprendre et interpréter un texte dès la première lecture attentive et il finit par utiliser les informations qui s’y trouvent pour atteindre ses objectifs.

Schengen – L’Adhésion de la Roumanie à l’espace Schengen de libre circulation européenne pourrait être débattue fin septembre durant la première réunion du Conseil Justice et Affaires Etrangères sous la présidence tournante de l’Espagne au Conseil de l’Union européenne, a annoncé le ministre roumain de l’intérieur, Lucian Bode. Selon lui, jusqu’à la fin juin sous la présidence de la Suède le dossier de la Roumanie et de la Bulgarie n’a aucune chance de figurer à l’ordre du jour du Conseil JAI. L’Espagne a affirme par la voix de son ministre de l’Intérieur tant à Bucarest qu’à Vienne qu’elle mettre à l’agenda de son présidence le dossier Schengen. Donc nos espoirs sont liés à la présidence espagnole. C’est celle-ci qui décidera en fonction des discussions et des conclusions à l’issue des négociations avec l’Autriche si cela se passera en septembre, octobre, novembre ou décembre », a déclaré M Bode. Rappelons-le, en décembre dernier l’Autriche a bloqué le parcours de la Roumanie vers Schengen, invoquant le fait que le pays était placé sur la route migratoire des Balkans. Ces accusations ont été rejetées par l’administration de Bucarest et officiellement démentie par les institutions européennes.

1 mai – Plus de 400 festivals, concerts, salons et activités sportives sont prévus en Roumanie à l’occasion du week-end prolongé du 1 mai, et plus de 70 000 vacanciers sont attendus sur les bords de la mer Noire. Le ministère de l’Intérieur a annoncé qu’environ 24 000 policiers, gendarmes et pompiers seront mobilisés sur l’ensemble du territoire, afin de prévenir et combattre les actes illégaux, assurer la fluidité de la circulation, réduire le temps d’attente aux douanes, et assurer le bon déroulement des événements. Par ailleurs, toutes les mesures nécessaires ont été prises pour assurer un contrôle efficace aux frontières et réduire les temps d’attente, surtout aux points de passage avec la Hongrie et la Bulgarie.

Météo – Il fera beau ce weekend en Roumanie, mais les températures restent assez basses pour cette période de l’année, sur la plupart du territoire. Des pluies à verse sont possibles en montagne, sur l’ouest et sur le sud-ouest. Les maximas iront de 14 à 19 degrés. On s’attend à 18 degrés à midi à Bucarest.

28 April 2023
03.02.2023

Bakou – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, s’est exprimé en présence de son homologue azéri, Ilham Aliyev et du commissaire européen à l’énergie, Kadri Simson, dans le cadre de l’inauguration officielle de la Réunion ministérielle du Conseil consultatif du Corridor sud des gaz. Au cours des deux années depuis qu’il est opérationnel, le corridor a illustré son importance stratégique à la sécurité énergétique de l’Europe et il est devenu d’autant plus important maintenant lorsque la guerre d’agression de la Russie contre l’Ukraine a changé d’une manière radicale le contexte géopolitique, notamment lorsqu’on parle d’énergie, a déclaré le chef de l’Etat roumain. Le président Iohannis a également évoqué l’implication de la Roumanie dans la sécurité énergétique européenne. Celle-ci se réalisera par l’élargissement de la coopération avec les partenaires régionaux et par la diversification des sources et des routes de transport des ressources énergétiques. La Roumanie est actuellement un producteur important d’hydrocarbures en Europe et souhaite développer ce rôle par le biais des réserves de gaz découvertes en mer Noire, a également dit Klaus Iohannis. Aujourd’hui également, durant la visite de deux jours en Azerbaïdjan du chef de l’Etat roumain, les compagnies nationaux de gaz naturels de Roumanie et d’Azerbaïdjan, Romgaz et SOCAR signent un nouveau contrat pour une période d’une année, à commencer par le mois d’avril, alors que, début janvier, l’Azerbaïdjan a démarré l’exportation de gaz supplémentaires à la Roumanie. L’année dernière, le 16 décembre, les deux entreprises ont signé le premier contrat individuel visant à délivrer du gaz naturel azéri en Roumanie via le Corridor sud.

Ukraine – Candidate à l’adhésion à l’UE, l’Ukraine accueille aujourd’hui un sommet avec des représentants européens, « un symbole puissant », selon la Commission, pour illustrer le soutien des 27 à l’Ukraine et contre l’agression injustifiée de la Russie. La présidente de la Commission européenne, Ursula von der Leyen, est arrivée dès jeudi à Kiev, accompagnée du chef de la diplomatie européenne, Josep Borrell et d’une quinzaine de commissaires européens. Au sommet est également attendu le président du Conseil européen, Charles Michel, pour des pourparlers sur les pas à entreprendre pour l’adhésion de l’Ukraine à l’UE, procès difficile que les autorités de Kiev souhaitent accélérer. Le président ukrainien, Volodymyr Zelensky, affirme que son pays mérite bien de démarrer les négociations dès cette année, mais le processus d’intégration pourrait durer des décennies, selon certains leaders européens. Et même en ce cas, l’Ukraine recevra un appui substantiel de la part de l’UE. Une première rencontre entre Ursula von der Leyen et Volodymyr Zelensky s’est déjà achevée sur des déclarations optimistes. Les bonnes nouvelles annoncées par la présidente de la Commission européenne visent l’adhésion de l’Ukraine à plusieurs programmes européens et propose une prolongation de la suspension des taxes d’importation d’une année pour toutes les exportations ukrainiennes. Ce qui plus est, prochainement, l’Ukraine pourra appliquer pour le financement des différents types de projets et un plan d’action en 15 points a été décidé pour permettre l’accès de l’Ukraine au marché unique européen.

Défense – Le ministre roumain de la défense, Angel Tîlvar a salué la présence des militaires portugais en Roumanie. Aux côtés du Chef de l’Etat major de la Défense, le général Daniel Petrescu, Angel Tîlvăr a rencontré à Bucarest le chef de l’Etat major général des Forces armées portugaises, l’amiral António Silva Ribeiro. Selon un communiqué du ministère roumain de la Défense, les responsables ont évoqué la coopération dans le domaine, l’évolution de la situation sécuritaire en Europe de l’est, ainsi que le programme commun d’instruction. Le dialogue a également visé le projet de la formation au Portugal de pilotes et du personnel technique des Forces aériennes roumaines. « Nous sommes intéressés à la participation des forces aériennes portugaises au service de police aérienne de notre pays et à une participation plus consistante des militaires roumains aux côtés de militaires portugais à des missions et des opérations de l’OTAN, de l’UE et de l’ONU » a affirmé le chef de l’armée roumaine, Daniel Petrescu.

Taxe – Le Parti national libéral a transmis dans un communiqué qu’il rejetait fermement la proposition des sociaux-démocrates d’introduire une taxe de 1% du chiffre d’affaires des grandes entreprises, soulignant qu’elle pourrait mener à une majoration généralisée des prix. Nous ne soutenons pas la majoration ni l’introduction de nouvelles taxes et impôts qui pourraient s’avérer un fardeau sur les épaules d’un milieu économique qui se confronte déjà à des problèmes – précisent les libéraux dans un communiqué. Selon les sociaux-démocrates, la taxe de solidarité imposerait à ces entreprises de payer un impôt équivalent à au moins de 1% du chiffre d’affaires, tel que paient toutes les petites entreprises de Roumanie. Le PSD affirme également que la mesure devrait être appliquée parce que de nombreuses entreprises roumaines rapportent des profits réels pour lesquels ils sont taxés, alors que d’autres grandes entreprises réduisent leurs obligations envers l’Etat par la réduction artificielle des rentrées.

Grippe – En Roumanie, le nombre des infections respiratoires a continué à baisser légèrement durant la semaine dernière par rapport à l’intervalle précédente, jusqu’à moins de 100 000. Les chiffres rapportés par les autorités indiquent un niveau même inférieur à la moyenne des années d’avant la pandémie. Le taux d’incidence de la grippe a également diminué, mais 7 nouveaux décès ont également été enregistrés parmi les personnes infectées au virus de la grippe. Le nombre de victimes des suites de la grippe est arrivé à 44. Le pic de l’actuelle vague de viroses semble avoir été dépassé mais selon les spécialistes, le nombre des cas restera élevé jusqu’à la mi-février.

Météo – Températures légèrement supérieures aux moyennes pluriannuelles sur le sud, mais assez normales pour la saison dans le reste du territoire. Les maxima vont de -3 à 6 degrés. Une alerte code jaune aux chutes de neige entrera en vigueur ce soir et sera valable jusqu’à dimanche dans l’après-midi sur le nord-ouest, le centre et en montagne, où des chutes de neige et des tempêtes de neige sont attendues. La vitesse du vent sera particulièrement élevée en haute montagne, à plus de 1 800 mètres d’altitude, dont sur les domaines skiables en haute montagne, les remontées mécaniques pourraient ne pas fonctionner. Entre temps des chutes de neige modestes sont attendues sur tout le territoire. 6 degrés et un ciel couvert à Bucarest.

3 February 2023
Fiscal Code Amendments

In times of crisis, taxes and charges should not be raised. This is a rule often mentioned by economic analysts and politicians.

These days however, burdened by a two-digit inflation rate prompted by skyrocketing energy and natural gas prices, Romanians are finding it increasingly hard to cope. And they fear they will be unable to pay their bills this coming winter. Under these circumstances, additional taxes and charges only manage to bring people down even more.

Asked recently about the amendments to the Fiscal Code that are taking effect on August 1, the president Klaus Iohannis said they do not introduce new taxes, but that they address situations that had not been properly regulated before. More precisely, this is about taxes introduced in other circumstances, perhaps without proper discussion or analysis, and it is now necessary to revisit them, to make things more transparent and fair, and thus to ensure better collection of state budget revenues. Better collection means less tax evasion, president Iohannis argued.

That said, following the decisions made recently by the coalition government made up of the National Liberal Party, Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as of August 1 tobacco products will be more expensive, ceilings for certain tax exemptions will be lower and the tax on gambling gains will be higher.

To go into more detail, as of Monday, whether they smoke classical or electronic cigarettes, Romanians will pay more, as the tobacco excise duty is raised. The decision, the authorities say, was made in order to avoid an infringement procedure against Romania for the inadequate transposition of EU legislation in this respect.

The prices of alcoholic beverages also go up. According to the finance minister Adrian Câciu, the excise duties for alcohol had not been updated since 2015.

As for gambling gains, a higher tax will be levied, ranging between 3% and 40%.

Changes are also operated as regards salaries in the construction industry, agriculture and the food industry, where the ceiling for certain tax rebates will be lowered from EUR 6,000 to EUR 2,000 per month.

Also beginning on August 1, for a part-time employment contract, employers will have to pay taxes corresponding to a full minimum salary, which triggers concerns that many small companies might be forced out of business or resort to illegal employment.

Even more changes to the Fiscal Code will take effect on January 1, 2023. For example, in the hospitality industry VAT will be raised from 5 to 9%, while the VAT for non-alcoholic beer and for sugary drinks will be raised to 19%. Property taxes will also be calculated on a new methodology. (AMP)

1 August 2022