The Chisinau Municipal Council approved the local tax rates for providing passenger transportation services by road. Starting with this year, the taxi drivers will also pay local taxes, Info-Prim Neo reports. Following the new Tax Code approved last yearend, the Council set the local monthly tax for providing passenger transportation services by cars-taxis with a capacity of up to eight seats inclusive at 500 lei. “Three years ago, the taxi drivers worked under patent and paid by 250 lei a month. After the patent was cancelled, they did not pay money into the local budget,” the head of the General Public Transport and Communications Division Veaceslav Tarna said at the Council’s meeting. It is estimated that the yearly collections from the new tax will be over 13 million lei. The monthly tax for every municipal bus and minibus route was fixed separtaley, depending on the number of units of transport running on routes and of passengers. The tax varies between 325 and 900 lei a month. Lower taxes were approved for the period between June 1 and August 31 for the routes affected by seasonal fluctuations. Among these are the route No. 125 that joins the State University and Medicine and Pharmacy and its dormitories located in the area Malina Mica. Higher taxes were set for the minibus routes No. 130 and 131 that connect Chisinau and Vadul lui Voda, and No.145, going along Balcani St. The local tax for the new routes will be 325 lei a month, while for the rest of the routes – the same as last year.