Opposition PDL Urges Ruling USL To Extend Tax Deadline For Farmers
Romania’s opposition Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) has called on the ruling Social Liberal Union to extend the filing deadline for farmers, which expires Monday.
PDL leader Vasile Blaga said farmers must be given more time to file their income tax returns, as they are not well-informed on the taxes they ought to pay and therefore, they know nothing about filling out tax forms. (Curentul)
Eurostat: Household Electricity Price Up 4.4% In Romania In 2H/2012
Household electricity prices rose 4.4% in Romania in the second half of 2012 to EUR10.8 per 100 kWh, while the price adjusted for purchasing power is double and exceeds the EU average, according to official data.
Household gas prices in Romania also increased by 4.4% in the analyzed interval to EUR2.7 per 100 kWh, the EU’s statistical arm Eurostat said in a report. When adjusted for purchasing power, household gas prices are double, but remain below the EU average.
Household electricity prices in the European Union increased 6.6% in the second half of 2012 compared to the similar interval of 2011, and household natural gas prices climbed 10.3%, according to Eurostat.
The average electricity price in EU rose to EUR19.7 per 100 kWh, while average natural gas prices reached EUR7.2 per 100 kWh.
The highest increases in household electricity prices in national currency were registered in Cyprus (+21%), Greece (+15%), Italy (+11%), Ireland and Portugal (both +10%), Bulgaria, Spain and Poland (all +9%). (Curentul)
Hotel Owners Frown On Planned Lump-Sum Tax
Hotel owners in Romania said the future lump-sum tax proposed by Minister-delegate for Tourism and SME Maria Grapini will be an additional tax which will not replace the current taxes on profit and turnover and will severely affect companies as they won’t be able to pay it.
“It will only be an additional tax with direct impact on companies’ profit. The new tax will add to existing taxes and contributions stipulated by valid laws,” the Federation of the Hotel Industry in Romania (FIHR) said in a statement.
Grapini has recently said the planned lump-sum tax will be computed as a fixed amount in ratio with certain indicators for each field of activity. Grapini also said that companies will pay less than they would pay by applying the 16% tax on profit or the 3% tax on revenue.
The lump-sum tax, which Romania might introduce starting July 1, 2013, targets only some services, including bread-and-breakfast units, hotels, restaurants, beauty salons and carwashes. (Curentul)
Romania Private Lending Falls To RON220B In April
Romanian private lending fell 1.9% in real terms to 220 billion lei (EUR50.4 billion) in April, from RON223.8 billion a month earlier, according to central bank data.
Private loans in Romanian lei declined 0.6% on the month, while foreign currency loans fell 2.5% when expressed in lei. When expressed in euros, foreign currency lending inched down 0.4%, the data showed.
Compared with April 2013, non-government lending decreased by 7% in real terms. Loans in Romanian lei decreased 1.5% on the year in April, while forex loans were down 5.4% when expressed in lei and 3.8% when expressed in euros.
Deposits of non-government resident customers inched down 0.1% on the month to RON200.7 billion in April.
End-April, government credit reached RON72.78 billion, down 14.7% in real terms from the year-earlier month. (Curentul)
Steaua Owner Gigi Becali Admits Forging Documents
Romanian Steaua owner and MP Gigi Becali admitted in front of the judges that he forged documents in order to recover EUR1.7 million.
The case prosecutor required that the EUR1.7 million amount be seized and Becali be sentenced to four years in prison.
During the hearings, Becali told judges he had altered the date of a sale-purchase contract for a plot of land in Cluj-Napoca, to be able to use it as evidence to his advantage and recover his money.
May 20, 2013, Becali was sentenced to three years in prison for real estate fraud, in a case involving former high-ranking officials of the Defense Ministry.
Early February this year, Becali was also sentenced to a suspended three-year prison term for kidnapping the alleged thieves of his car. (Curentul)