RON2B Vanished From Tax Regulator ANAF In Jan-April 2018
Deputy prime minister Viorel Stefan said revenues from VAT collection rose 1.1% to RON17.5 billion in January-April 2018, compared with RON17.3 billion in the same period in 2017.The increase was presented as an achievement of tax regulator ANAF, but Stefan had hidden a cruel reality, namely, the fact that ANAF, under the purview of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), most nearly RON2.1 billion in January-April 2018.
Household consumption grew 12% year-on-year in 2017, which means the bulk of this increase should have been seen proportionally in the revenue collected so far in 2018. 12% of the RON17.5 billion amount collected from VAT translates into RON2.1 billion, which the state should have cashed without doing absolutely anything. Just an additional RON200 million was collected. Thus, RON2.08 billion vanished in the first four months of 2018. (cotidianul.ro)
Romanian Central Bank Governor Might Retire in 2019
Romanian central bank governor Mugur Isarescu might retire in 2019 upon expiry of his term at the central bank and reaching the retirement age of 70 but Parliament will ultimately decide, he told a news conference Wednesday.
“My term expires next fall. I will also turn 70 and it’s the same as with professorships, a university professor may not continue to teach after 70. Parliament will decide,” he said.
Isarescu has been Romania’s central bank governor since 1990 with just an 11-month gap in 1990-2000 when he was the country’s prime minister. (jurnalul.ro)
Vodafone Buys UPC Romania
British Vodafone Group announced on Wednesday, May 9, that it has agreed to buy US cable operator Liberty Global’s operations in four European countries, including Romania, for a total enterprise value of EUR18.4 billion.
The deal targets the US giant’s operations in Romania, Germany, Czech Republic and Hungary.
In Romania, Vodafone and Liberty Global’s businesses are highly complementary. Vodafone is primarily active in mobile markets, whereas UPC Romania is mainly a provider of cable broadband and television services.
Vodafone Romania is the second largest mobile provider, while UPC Romania is the second largest NGN (next generation network) operator in Romania, with 3.1 million homes passed (41% of total households), according to company figures. This means that the combination of Vodafone Romania and UPC Romania will enable the customers of both companies to access a converged bundle of mobile, broadband, and TV, as well as enterprise services. The transaction will not include UPC Romania’s satellite TV business, Focus Sat, however. (puterea.ro)
Lower Chamber Wants Parliament To Appoint ANCOM President
Romanian lawmakers decided to keep the provision of government emergency ordinance no. 33/2017 regarding the national telecom regulator ANCOM, which says the president of the institution is elected by the Parliament.
The Chamber of Deputies rejected with 165 pros, 89 cons and five abstentions President Klaus Iohannis’ request to re-examine this ordinance. Until this ordinance, ANCOM president used to be appointed by Romania’s president, at the proposal of the prime minister.
Opposition parties USR and PNL upheld the rejection of the ordinance so that the country’s president can still appoint ANCOM president and blasted the speedy adoption of the normative act.
The Senate is decider on the matter. (cotidianul.ro)