The fiscal and customs policy for 2013 recently adopted by Parliament is balanced and it's important to ensure its proper implementation, Minister of Finance Veaceslav Negruta said in an interview with Radio Moldova. In reply to the opinions of some agricultural producers, who have expressed their dissent with the increase in the VAT rate on agricultural products from 8% to the standard 20%, the Minister said that some of the offered fiscal facilities were misused along the years. “Unfortunately, the beneficiaries of these provisions were not farmers, but some “cunning” individuals, ghost firms, who “milked” the real producers through this VAT policy, and ultimately, through VAT refund, “milked” the Budget as well. The idea to set the standard VAT share of 20% came from the will to create fiscal equality between our economy’s sectors, but also in the agricultural field, between the businesses in this sector”, stated Veaceslav Negruta. According to the Minister, this stipulation will simplify fiscal administration, will increase Budget funds and, ultimately help the State support the farming sector by subsidizing some important agricultural businesses. “We’re aiming, through this fiscal reform, to ensure the necessary space between the taxpayer and the fiscal inspector by setting up new electronic devices that should facilitate communication between taxpayers and the Fiscal Inspectorate and eliminate the human factor from decision making. Moreover, we’re introducing many new elements, in order to increase the fiscal base, not through higher taxes, but through more taxpayers”, said the Minister. According to Veaceslav Negruta, the Customs Reform is also in development. EU reports show that Moldova, for the first time, starting this year’s first quarter, is not the main contraband shipper to the European market; the main contraband comes from Ukraine or Russia. “We are far from saying that the customs and fiscal policies and administration are flawless, but I believe we are moving in the right direction”, the Minister of Finance added.