Romania To Raise Minimum Gross Wage To RON1,450/Month
Government’s Friday agenda will include the increase of the minimum wage to RON1,450 and the increase of salaries for local administration staff and artists, PSD president, Liviu Dragnea, stated Thursday.
The minimum gross wage might be raised to RON1,450 per month, for a full working program of 166 hours, starting February 1, 2017, according to a draft government decision posted on Romania’s Labor Ministry website.
The minimum gross wage currently reaches RON1,250 per month, for a full working program of 169.333 hours, on average, per month in 2016, representing RON7.382 per hour. (mediafax.ro)
Budget Law, Moment Of The Truth: How Will Government Ensure A 6% Economic Growth
Former finance minister Anca Dragu handed over to her successor, Viorel Stefan, a budget draft for 2017 based on a budget deficit of 2.99% of GDP, saying that it would cover the salary increases for public employees stipulated by law 250/2016.
Dragu said that the draft law does not include funds for other salary and pension hikes and tax cuts included in the electoral programs of the parties.
Most of the financial institutions estimate that the GDP growth, which most likely reached 5% in 2016, will be below 4% this year. Nevertheless, PSD electoral project counts on an economic growth of 5.5%-6% in each of the next four years. PSD won the elections with a multitude of campaign promises, which must be now turned into reality without exceeding the deficit target of 3% of the GDP. (zf.ro)
Pensions To Be Exempted From Payment Of Social And Health Insurance Contribution
The Chamber of Deputies adopted the draft law for amending the Tax Code so that pensions would be exempted from the payment of social and health insurance contribution (CASS) and pensions below RON2,000 would be exempted from the payment of the 16% income tax.
The budget committee of the Chamber of Deputies has previously adopted a favorable report on the draft law.
USR voted against the draft law, saying that the law was presented by PSD as an increase of the low pensions, which is not true, and that the law would bring no benefits to 66% of the pensioners, namely those with low pensions.
The draft law was sent to President Klaus Iohannis for promulgation and could come into force on February 1. (gandul.info)
CFR Calatori Cancels 40 Trains Due To Bad Weather
Romania’s state-owned passenger railway carrier CFR Calatori will cancel 40 trains as of January 6, due to the bad weather conditions in the upcoming period, the company said in a statement.
Thus, the company will cancel four InterRegio trains on Bucharest-Constanta route, four InterRegio trains on Bucharest-Slobozia route and 34 Regio trains on the routes Bucharest-Constanta, Medgidia-Tulcea, Fetesti-Slobozia and Slobozia-Ciulnita.
CFR Calatori recommends the passengers to check for information related to train delays or cancellations on www.cfrcalatori.ro or at 021/9521. (mediafax.ro)
Hacker Guccifer Doubts U.S. Administration’s Claims About Russia Hacking
Romanian hacker Marcel Lehel Lazar, known as “Guccifer”, casts doubt on the Obama administration’s allegations about Moscow directing cyberattacks against Democratic groups in the 2016 election, according to Fox News.
Lazar spoke to Fox News reporters in a series of recorded phone calls from his Romanian jail cell in late December, describing the administration’s allegation of Russia cyber-attacks during the 2016 elections as part of “a fake cyber war.”
Lazar has been convicted and sentenced to prison both in the U.S. and Romania, for his hacking of celebrities and politicians. Lazar will finish his Romanian sentence in 2019 and then will be returned to the U.S. to face 52 months in an American prison. (gandul.info)