Business coalition takes stand on Romanian government over failure to consult about new taxes

A major group of business and influential associations stood up again on Wednesday to challenge the Romanian government over its lack of consultations and transparency over taxation measures. The Coalition for the Development of Romania thus reacted to a set of tax and budgetary measures announced by the Finance Ministry.

• The coalition brings together the Association of Business People in Romania, many bilateral trade chambers, the Foreign Investors Council and many other organisations. Its goal is to provide expert opinions for decision making in various business sectors.

It says in a press release that less then a year since the government delivered a shock to the market with an emergency ordinance coming out of nowhere to change the rules for key business sectors, the Government fails again to comply with transparency rules. This time – with a series of tax and budgetary measures which are to be introduced without any impact study or with consulations with stakeholders.

It also says that new taxes can’t compensate gaps caused by a lack of modernisation and digitalisation of tax administration and by a lack of measures aimed at improving the collection of taxes.

The coalition uniting domestic and foreign investors also says that it had warned repeatedly against unsustainable spending by the governmen. In these circumstances, it says, the current critical situation was predictible.

It urges the government to become involved in a real, transparent public-private debate on measures that have an impact on the private sector, on investments and on the society as a whole.