Minister of Finance Natalia Gavrilița understands the dissatisfaction of HoReCa sector representatives who pay their contributions and who are unable to compete with businesses that employ tax evasion. "The right to protest is essential in a democracy", said Natalia Gavrilița about the HoReCa initiative to protest today, August 12, against the VAT rate increase from 10% to 20% for this sector.

"I shall do my best to generate more fair competition and to bring inside the legal framework those operating in the black economy. We are already working on a series of measures to encourage legal businesses - ranging from tax receipts lotteries, to intensive inspections at places where tax evasion happens," the finance minister wrote on her Facebook page.

Natalia Gavrilița says that economic agents and civil society representatives will be extensively consulted, in order to identify other sustainable budget measures that aim to support both the HoReCa sector and the consumers of these services.

The National Association of Restaurants and Leisure Establishments of Moldova (MĂR) announces that today more restaurants, cafes and other leisure related businesses, plan to suspend their activity for 30 minutes starting 10.00 o'clock, in protest. Asked by IPN, the president of MĂR, Aneta Zasaviţchi, said that "it is a manifesto against the fiscal austerity measures announced by the finance ministry, namely the increase from 10% to 20% of the VAT rate for the HoReCa sector”.