The Government is asked to immediately work out the mechanisms needed for ensuring the functioning of the law on the strengthening of the financial sustainability of civil society, known as the 2% law. In the absence of these mechanisms, the nongovernmental organizations cannot really benefit from the support provided by the people.
The given law offers the private individuals and legal entities the right to direct up to 2% of the income tax they pay to the state to nongovernmental organizations.
In a news conference at IPN, Andrei Brighidin, development, monitoring and assessment director at East Europe Foundation, said the implementation of this law will allow the NGOs to get more financing for carrying out statutory activities. This refers to organizations that perform public utility activities, namely provide services, carry out monitoring and support socially deprived groups.
In practice, the implementation mechanism requires that the responsible authorities work out formulas that would allow the tax payers to support the NGOs. “We want to have clarity as to when and in what conditions this thing will happen as changes were made to the law, which allow implementing the mechanism, but this mechanism is to be defined by a Government decision,” stated Andrei Brighidin.
According to him, among the shortcomings mentioned by experts is the fact that the law does not put in equal conditions the representatives of religious organizations and those of nongovernmental organizations. Unlike the religious organizations, the NGOs must get a certificate of public utility to be able to obtain the 2%. The law does not say how the confidentiality of this mechanism will be ensured as it’s not normal for the beneficiaries to know the taxpayers.
Deputy head of the National Participation Council Antonita Fonari said the NGOs, especially those from communities, take care of children, elderly people, victims of violence and ecology even if they do not have much money. “They create workplaces and offer hope to the community. 2% means allowing every person to support the NGOs,” stated Antonita Fonari.
The campaign “Countdown to the fulfillment of the Government’s promises: Returning to the seven priorities”, within which seven calls are made to the Government, was launched by the National Participation Council, the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, the Anticorruption Alliance, and the Civic Initiative for Integrity in the Public Service.
