Press Release

Transparency International Romania welcomes the promoting campaign of fiscal discipline as an attitude of social justice, anti-fraud and corruption on budget revenues. We believe that it is not appropriate to apply half-way decisions, because tax evasion is theft of public money.

In regard to the discussions from Government meeting- today, April 2, 2015 on this issue, we account that if the ANAF inspectors find non-taxed differences of up to 300 lei, the fine applied on the company should be a daunting one. In the absence of such fines, the setting of a cap on which sanctions would apply would be interpreted as a ceiling of tolerance, which we consider inappropriate for right taxpayers.

For example, an entrepreneur who makes a300 lei tax evasion privates a needy citizen of the social help that he needs. It is unfair that a person may not be entitled to social assistance due to lack of resources and tolerance for theft and abuse.

At the same time, we adverting the fact that a campaign against ANAF is wrong, regarding the fact that responsibility for the suspension of jobs belongs to those entrepreneurs who understand to risk the sanctions prescribed by the law by defrauding the tax obligations and thus endangering the jobs of their own employees.

It is uncompetitive and unethical to exist on the market the same services and supplies provided by two types of operators: those who pay their tax obligations - reducing their profits- and those who violate tax discipline- by increasing their profits to the right taxpayers or by Prices fraudulently reduced.

The breach of tax discipline obligations is equally serious, whether we are talking about 300 lei or 3,000 lei, because it affects the same principles of social responsibility and social solidarity and competitive market.

It is equally wrong if it were considered that illegal financing of an electoral campaign with 12,000 lei is less serious than the illegal financing of another electoral campaign with 120,000 lei. In both cases, there are politicians who lack integrity, who breach the law.

We resign that VAT revenues declined by 1.8% in 2014, when consuming increased by 7.4%. Thus, 50.8 billion lei was collected from the state budget, with 3.8 billion lei less than the estimated amount. Also last year, the Fiscal Council estimated that in 2013 tax evasion was 16% of GDP, of which over 12% comes only from VAT.

It should be understood that tax evasion is the first source of burdensome taxes. Lack of tolerance for tax evasion is the best solution for fiscal adjustment, because only when all contributors understand that tax payments are not optional, sufficient resources will be gathered and a sustainable tax and tax cut.

In this context, Transparency International Romania asks public authorities to apply equal treatment and non-discriminatory actions, and also to take into account that the public interest prevails, and respect for the rule of law implies non-discriminatory conformity  to fiscal legislation.