The 43% reduction in the import duties on luxury vehicles brought into Moldova is the subject of a new challenge filed by the Liberal Party to the Constitutional Court. Liberal MP Valeriu Munteanu has told IPN that the given reductions were included by Parliament in the budgetary-fiscal policy for this year without the Government’s appraisal.

The lawmaker said there was violated Article 131 of the Constitution, which provides that any legislative proposal or amendment to increase or reduce budget incomes or loans and to increase or reduce budget expenditure can be adopted only after they are approved by the Government.

“It is inadmissible that a wealthy person who purchases a car for €100,000 pays the same taxes as an ordinary person who buys a vehicle for €3,000,” stated Valeriu Munteanu.

Parliament reduced the excises on the import of vehicles with diesel engines with a capacity of over 2,500 cubic meters and gasoline engines with a capacity of over 3,000 cubic meters. On the other hand, the import duties on cheaper vehicles were increased by 4-6 eurocents. The new taxes took effect on January 1, 2014 and are projected to bring 40 million lei into the state budget. More than 800 vehicles were brought into Moldova last year. Taxes of 200 million lei were paid on them.