The fiscal-budgetary policy for the year 2027 was approved in the first reading by the Parliament, with the votes of the PAS deputies. However, the opposition criticized the project, arguing that the increase in some taxes and duties will put additional pressure on citizens and the business environment and could contribute to rising prices, IPN reports.

The deputy of the Home Democracy Party, Alexandru Versinin, stated that the state is expected to collect an additional approximately 5.1 billion lei, money which, in his opinion, will be largely collected from the citizens.

The Minister of Finance, Victoria Belous, dismissed the criticism and stated that any tax is, ultimately, paid by the citizens. According to her, the authorities have tried to find a balance between the need to increase budget revenues and maintaining a bearable tax burden. “When we are conservative about raising taxes, but even more critical of a deficit, the only solution is to find a compromise between these two. Through this policy, we tried to come up with equitable increases,” the minister affirmed.

And the deputy from the Alternative faction, Ion Chicu, criticized the project, arguing that increasing the tax burden does not automatically guarantee higher budget revenues. In his opinion, increasing tax rates could discourage economic activity and stimulate tax evasion. Ion Chicu gave as an example the taxation of real estate transactions, where, according to him, increasing the rate from 6% to 12% could lead owners to declare lower transaction values.

Alla Pilipetcaia, a deputy of the Socialist Party, has accused the government of trying to cover the budget deficit by increasing the tax burden on the population and producers.

“The government covers the holes at the expense of ordinary consumers. The tax increases, the price increases. The excise duty increases, the price increases. The VAT increases, the price increases,” declared the deputy. Alla Pilipetcaia also criticized the VAT changes, arguing that the increase in the rate for some products and services will primarily affect families with low incomes. She also drew attention to the difference between the increase in population income and the increase in expenses.

PAS deputies expressed their support for the project. Radu Marian argued that increasing tax revenues is necessary to reduce the budget deficit and to decrease the state’s borrowing costs. According to him, in the last five years, the state has allocated over 10 billion lei for bill compensation and about 40 billion lei for additional pension increases. The deputy also mentioned the extension of the zero tax rate on reinvested profit, a measure he says will encourage investment.

At the same time, the project envisages an increase in personal exemption to 40 thousand lei. According to Radu Marian, the measure will leave more money in the pockets of employees, while the consolidation of fiscal revenues is expected to contribute, in the medium and long term, to reducing the budget deficit.