Iohannis Calls For Reexamination Of Mandatory Home Insurance Bill
President Klaus Iohannis has sent a law amending mandatory home insurance legislation back to Parliament, for reexamination.
Iohannis asked lawmakers to clarify the bill which should encourage homeowners to get mandatory home insurance against natural disasters while not interfering with the functioning of the home insurance market. (Puterea)
ID Cards To Be Scanned At Next Election
ID cards will be scanned at the next local election using equipment already bought by the Special Telecommunications Service, to eliminate fraud through multiple voting.
Parliament electoral code commission president Mihai Voicu said the special telecom service already tested the scanners two years ago and they will be used in next year’s local elections if the parliament approves the change. (Romania Libera)
Romania Has Some Of The Largest Interbank Fees On Card Transactions In Europe
Banks in states with developed electronic payment system might enter the Romanian market in two-three years with a simple notification, to offer services on the card segment due to lower costs, the central bank warned local bankers.
A 2013 Competition Council study showed interbank fees on card transactions in Romania are among the highest in Europe.
In Romania, interbank fees in Visa and MasterCard systems is 1% and 1.2% respectively, while in the UK, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Belgium and Hungary these fees do not exceed 0.8%. (Adevarul)
Household Gas Prices Rise 5-8% As Of July
The final price of natural gas paid by household consumers will increase by 5-8% as of July 1, energy regulatory agency president Niculae Havrilet said Thursday.
The price hike is due to the deregulation of production prices for natural gas.
Romania agreed with the European Commission and the IMF to deregulate its gas and electricity markets. the gas market was deregulated for companies in January 2014 and only household consumers currently pay regulated prices. (Puterea)
VAT On Books To Be Lowered From 9% To 5%
Culture Minister Ionut Vulpescu announced Thursday the value added tax on books will be lowered from 9% to 5% as of January 2016.
The minister will submit an amendment to the Tax Code in parliament. If the measure passes, it will make Romania one of the countries in Europe with the lowest VAT on books and would help publishers offers more affordable prices. (Romania Libera)