The council also said excise duty hikes on fuels will also boost transportation costs for the SMEs and prices for all products and services. It added the measure will impact SMEs’ competitiveness on international markets, as there are countries in the European Union with lower fuel prices than Romania’s.
Furthermore, the increase in excise duties on fuel will also impact economic growth and jobs in exports, transportation, trade, manufacturing industry and agriculture, sectors in which many SMEs operate.
The Romanian Government passed a decree amending the Tax Code and gradually increasing excise duties on fuel in two stages, by RON0.16 per liter, as of September 15, by RON0.16 per liter as of October 1, 2017.