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Citu: 2% “solidarity fee” a desperate finding

PNL (libeal party) vicepresident Florin Citu says that finance minister Ionut Misa “is manipulating at kindergarten level, and the solidarity fee is a “desperate finding” to cover the holes generated for the state budget by an “government irresponsible”in managing economy in difficulty.

“What Ionut Misa is trying to induce into public opinion is fake, that is the fact that European regulations would impose the 2% fee. The law in force provides that fee, called contribution for “the fund for salary debts” at the level of 0.25%. The increase of the contribution is a finding of Tanase’s government, to cover holes generated by the state budget by an government irresponsible in managing economy.” said the PNL vicepresident, quoted in a press release.

Citu also says the fee guarantees that employers will not increase gross salaries to maintain net salaries at the present level, as it would mean having additional expenses with salaries.

“Moreover, the measure takes from the employees’ money which could be used for salary increases or bonuses in the private sector. In the budget sector the effect will be to reduce availabilities the government has to increase salaries in the future, to which moving contributions meant to melt increases promised by PSD-ALDE are added. That fee continues the idea that the state increases salaries of state employees to bring additional incomes to the state budget. These 10 months showed it is a strategy leading only to disaster and chaos in both budget sector and the rest of economy,” Citu declared.

Misa returned with explanations on Thursday, saying that the solidarity fee was not a new tax, as it has been paid until now and was meant to come into force as of January 1, 2018.

“That fee is not an additional one, as speculated. There has been such a contribution before. It will be applied as of January 1, 2018,”Misa said in Parliament, on Thursday.

He showed that 90% of the money coming from that fee would be directed to the state budget to cover different budget needs, while 10% will be used to support employees who could face problems like the employer’s insolvency. Misa pointed out that the fee cannot be eliminated, as it was applied according to a European directive.

The Finance minister also announced that income tax will be 10% for everybody, including employees with salaries below 2,000 lei.

The “drop”from 16% to 10% will come into force on January 1, 2018 for all incomes, “said Misa.

As for zero tax for salaries under 2,000 lei, Misa answered: “That measure will not be implemented.”

In the 2016 election campaign, PSD announced that income tax would drop from 16% to 0% for salaries up to 2,000 lei per month and from 16% to 10% for gross salaries of over 2,000 per month.

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