Prime Minister says pensioners, veterans and disabled persons do not have to pay real estate tax

PM Vasile Tarlev qualifies the actions of the Chisinau Tax Inspectorate related to the distribution of bills for the payment of the tax on real estate to pensioners, veterans and disabled persons as a provocation aiming at destabilising the situation. According to him, these categories, according to the law are automatically exempted from these taxes. The PM asked to hold responsible the guilty persons, including cutting from their salaries the cost for issuing and distributing the tax bills. This year, the real estate tax rates vary from 0.02% to 0.25% of the taxable property, in conformity with the first implementation stage of the Land Cadastre. For Chisinau Municipality, the Parliament set a minimal rate of 0.02% for the year 2007. The specific rates will be set by the local councils, in agreement with the local autonomy principles and based on valuation documents prepared by the territorial tax agencies. The deadlines for paying taxes on real estate in 2007 are August 15 and October 15. As of August 7, some 78% of the taxpayers received tax bills according to the new rules regulating taxation for cities and towns. The implementation of the Land Cadastre provides the reformation of the taxation system for the real estate, including by compiling into a single taxable property the building and the land under it, based on the market prices assessed by the Land and Cadastre Agency (ARFC). The revaluation of the property will take place once in three years. In 2007, the tax bills for cities and towns, in compliance with the first implementation stage of the Land Cadastre, are calculated on the basis of the assessment made by ARFC in 2004.