PM: VAT Can Be Lowered This Year, 1Q Revenue Collection Above Expectations
On Monday, Prime Minister Victor Ponta had talks with central bank governor Mugur Isarescu over the VAT cut.
The PM said the government will decide Tuesday on lowering the standard VAT rate from 24% to 20% or on cutting VAT for basic products from 24% to 9%.
Ponta said Monday that first quarter data show that the collection of state budget revenues exceed the estimated schedule by RON3-3.5 billion, which allows the lowering of the value-added tax this year.
“The impact over the budget is different (…) From the point of view of fiscal administration, the lowering of the standard VAT rate from 24% to 20% is easier to manage than different rates of VAT. The impact is stronger for the standard VAT rate, but there is no significant difference,” Ponta stated. (Puterea)
PMP Asks Klaus Iohannis To Insist On Adopting Postal Voting Law
Eugen Tomac, president of the People’s Movement Party (PMP), stated that the party representatives will write a letter to President Klaus Iohannis, asking him to insist on adopting the postal voting law, at the consultations with parliamentary parties.
Tomac said that PMP had to resort to this method as the representatives of the party have not been invited to consultations, although the party reached the “election threshold” at the elections for European Parliament, as it has two MEPs.
“After Easter Holiday, President Iohannis will have consultations with the parties on issues of current interest and, although the postal voting was a priority both for the President and for Victor Ponta after the presidential elections, now we witness a lack of interest or simulated interest,” Tomac stated. (Romania Libera)
General Council Of Bucharest Approves 2015 Budget
The General Council of Bucharest (CGMB) approved the budget of the capital city for 2015, after it faced over 100 amendments. Thus, Bucharest budget for 2015 totals RON4.2 billion, compared with RON5.2 billion last year.
The CGMB meeting was interrupted for over one hour, after Bucharest general mayor, Sorin Oprescu, asked for talks with the leaders of political groups.
At the end of negotiations, deputy mayor Cornel Pieptea stated he was not convinced by the justness and legality of the project for Piata Romana passage, adding that the budget came two months later compared with the term stipulated by the law. (Romania Libera)
President Klaus Iohannis On Easter Holiday April 6-10
President Klaus Iohannis is on Easter holiday between April 6-10, according to a release of the Presidential Administration.
On Sunday, the President was expected to attend the Catholic Easter service of “Holy Trinity” Roman-Catholic Church of Sibiu, where he used to celebrate Easter every year, but he did not show up.
According to local sources, the presidential family is spending Easter abroad. (Puterea)
Health Insurance Card Not Yet Used In Hospitals, Polyclinics, Drugstores
The health insurance card is not used in hospitals, polyclinics, drugstores yet, although they have less than one month to get used to the only instrument based on which insured persons will benefit from medicals services as of May 1.
Family physicians are the only doctors who started to activate the health insurance card, but are worried that the system won’t be able to deal with all the data, after it will be accessed by all the service providers.
Although authorities decided that hospitals, polyclinics, and drugstores would have three months to get used to the system and discover potential problems, the health insurance card is barely used at the moment. (Adevarul)