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Radu Ghetea : Bank taxation is immoral, illegal and will increase loan prices
Laurentiu Mitrace (CEO Leumi Bank) Gheorghe Muntean ( Italo Romena, general manager) were elected in the Board of Directors of the Romanian Association of Banks (ARB) following the AGM meeting which took place on Thursday, the chairman of the Association Radu Ghetea said. The association changed its statute starting with February, when the number of members in the leading organ increased from 5 to 7, and the name was changed to Board of Director.
« We wanted to be able to access the data basis of the Police to find those who use fake identity cards, and create problems. The National Authority of Supervision of Data Protection refused access, as they said we could not use it only for our clients » Ghetea said. At the same time, ARB was stopped from contributing to the project regarding online payment for taxes. « You must know that they have tried a payment system for taxes with creditcards. We received the request to contribute with summoning the population as there is no use to send such requests to those who have no cards. Again we were refused by ANPC. We will resume the discussions with them so that we get out of such difficult situations » the head of bankers said.
The new membership of the Board of Directors of ARB is : Radu Ghetea – chairman, Petre Bunescu – vice-chairman, Steven van Groningen, Oana Petrescu, Sergiu Oprescu, Laurentiu Mitrache ( CEO Leumi Bank), Gheorghe Muntean ( Italo Romena general manager) members.
A new position will be included in the ARB list- that of executive chairman – who will be employed by ARB, with no possibility to be part of the leadership of another bank. The ARB representation against the authorities will be made by a person who does not belong to the leadership of another bank, Ghetea announced. For the moment we don’t know who will be hired for this position, Ghetea stating they are looking for the ideal employee – leader in the secondary level of banks or former banker, the salary being at the level of the similar position in the banking system, the ARB head said.
The process of loan recovery by the putting to value of the guarantees will have to suffer once they give up banking bailiffs. The process will be slower. Then, clients will have to suffer as well as the costs will be higher than in the case of banking bailiffs, and those costs will be supported by the client. The judicial bailiffs requires commission ( in the case of banks there was none) and in many cases the bank bailiff has the ability to renegotiate the installments instead of recovering the guarantee.
Several banks executed with other creditors a good which guaranteed loans of 7800,000 lei. The good was sold for 84,000 lei, money which did not cover more than the bailiff’s commission. The client was left without the good and still indebted to the banks.
As for bank taxation : such a provision is immoral, illegal and could have unpleasant effects such as the increase of loan costs and loan activity. For the banking system is immoral as in our case the state did not have to give money to the banks. Under these conditions, why should apply the same rules as in Greece. Such a taxation would weaken the banking system.