FinMin: We do not want to complicate lives of entrepreneurs, on the contrary, to create a shield for fair business

The corrections that will be brought through the second package of measures are necessary to eliminate undue advantages and strengthen financial discipline, and we do not want to complicate the lives of entrepreneurs, but on the contrary, to create a shield for fair business in Romania, stated the Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare."Through this package, we aim to correct anomalies tolerated for too long: inactive companies artificially maintained in the market, debts rolled over for years without coverage, the lack of modern fiscal risk criteria, the abusive use of fiscal instruments created to support business and not to become a screen for endlessly accumulated debts, transfers of companies with debts to escape responsibility or unjustified privileged tax treatments for certain companies. All these corrections are necessary to eliminate undue advantages and to strengthen financial discipline. We do not want to complicate the lives of entrepreneurs, but on the contrary, to create a shield for fair business in Romania. Let's make the rules clearer, fairer and more predictable, so that fair companies can develop in a healthy competitive environment, and investments that are truly advantageous for Romania are stimulated," the minister wrote. Finance on its Facebook page.In this context, Nazare specified that, starting Monday, rounds of discussions will take place on the package of proposals, in order to reach the best final formula and to integrate the necessary technical revisions.The Minister of Finance recalled that the second package of measures was built starting from a reality that can no longer be ignored: Romania today has the largest budget deficit in the EU, in which the low level of collection, of approximately 27% of GDP, compared to a European average of over 40%, plays a major role."Added to this is the level of evasion, exaggerated public spending, outdated legislation and a lack of trust in tax services. These differences cost us competitiveness, investments and, ultimately, our standard of living. At the same time, the fair business environment is often disadvantaged by those who find loopholes to avoid obligations, transferring the burden onto the shoulders of the honest ones", Alexandru Nazare emphasized.The fiscal component of Package 2 provides for a change in taxation in the case of multinationals, under the conditions that the turnover tax currently applied to companies with turnover of over 50 million euros will be replaced with a new tax on affiliates.The philosophy regarding the way in which installments are made is also being changed, with the deadlines that companies had for various types of installments, including restructuring, being reduced. At the same time, the transfer of shares held in a limited liability company will be penalized, in the situation where the company has unpaid budgetary obligations, and the transfer is proven to have been made for the purpose of evading the payment of tax obligations.All companies will be required to have a bank account, the period of inactivity could be limited to one year and for LLCs it is proposed to increase the minimum share capital to 8,000 lei.Any merchant will have to offer both cash payment options and payment options with any electronic payment method, under the conditions in which the 50,000 lei ceiling for card payments is to be eliminated.The Ministry of Finance also proposes increasing the tax rates for stock market gains to 2% and, respectively, 4%, depending on the period of time the securities were held.Another measure aims to charge 25 lei for each parcel of 150 euros coming from non-EU areas.In the case of individuals who earn income from independent activities, the maximum ceiling of the annual calculation base for the health social insurance contribution (CASS) could be increased to 90 gross minimum wages per country, for income earned starting with January 1, 2026.