The MPs of the Party of Action and Solidarity drafted a bill to provide a special status similar to that of the municipality of Chisinau to the municipality of Bălți. Under the bill, the taxes on the incomes of private individuals will fully remain in the municipality, while those on legal entities’ incomes – in the amount of 50%. The road taxes will also remain in the local budget, IPN reports.

In a press briefing, MP Boris Marcoci said that many governments started to do this in 2012, but no one finished what they began. “We registered this bill so that the northern capital of the country, Bălți, enjoys the same or almost the same status as Chisinau. A new mayor, a new manager and a new tax collection method will enable the municipality to develop harmoniously,” stated the MP.

MP Liliana Grosu noted that this bill will substantially contribute to strengthening the capacities of the                               local public authorities in the municipality of Bălți. “This bill delimits the own powers and the delegated powers of the mayor. It is proposed that the delegated powers should enjoy backing from the state budget, while the own powers – from the local budget. The own powers will be divided into mandatory and voluntary,” she said.

“We suggest instituting a separate mechanism for collecting local taxes as these are now collected by fiscal institutions that didn’t show efficiency in the collection process.”

The status of municipality was conferred on Chisinau, Bălți, Bender, Cahul, Ceadîr-Lunga, Comrat, Edineț, Hâncești, Orhei, Soroca, Strășeni, Tiraspol, and Ungheni.