Ponta Says No One Asked Him To Step Down As Party President
Former Social Democratic Party president, prime minister Victor Ponta, said no one asked him to resign from his position in the party.
He said he chose to resign to focus on his work in the government.
He added he will support Liviu Dragnea, who was elected interim party president. (Adevarul)
New Tax Code To Cause RON17.1B Budget Gap
The adoption of the new Tax Code will cause a deficit of RON17.1 billion, or 2.3% of GDP in 2016, in a first stage.
“The opportunity of a fiscal relaxation of such proportions is questionable, given that the cyclical position of the economy shows that this year we might witness a very high economic growth, compared with initial estimations, meaning that we might face an excess demand starting with this year,” said Ionut Dumitru, head of the Fiscal Council.
He added Romania might get caught in the toils of the procyclicality of fiscal policy and push the accelerator pedal when the economy is already accelerating, a mistake which has already been made in the past and should not be repeated. (Puterea)
Romania Introduces Penalties For Not Declaring Revenue
Penalties for non-declaration of revenue have been introduced in Romania’s fiscal legislation for the first time.
Some businesses resorted to declaring lower due taxes during months when they lacked liquidity and would rectify in future revenue statements. But the measure also affects fair businesses, who make involuntary mistakes in tax forms and those who are required to pay additional taxes following the tax authority’s interpretation of the law.
Even though the new Tax Code has not been passed into law yet, the Tax Procedural Code has and some of its provisions are applicable as of July 23. (Curierul National)
CFR Marfa Should Pay RON166M TYo CFR Infrastructura For 19,000 Train Cars
A number of 19,000 train cars are stationed on railway tracks in Romania and freight carrier CFR Marfa should be paying RON166 million a year for them to CFR Infrastructura, said Vlad Nichita, head of an organization of private employers in Romania.
However, CFR Marfa is not paying this money.
Nichita also said only private transporters checks train engines regularly and a check-up has found 75% of CFR Marfa engines are overdue for repairs. (Jurnalul National)
Number Of Children With Incomplete Vaccinations Rose 15% In 2014
The number of children aged up to one year and a half with incomplete vaccinations increased by 15% in 2014, while the national vaccination rate dropped to 86% from the target of 95%.
According to a survey by the Institute for Public Policies, the vaccination rate decreased steadily in 2014 for all vaccines in the national immunization program, except the vaccine given in maternity hospitals, at birth. (Adevarul)