Second Business-forum “Investment Climate in Moldova” to be held next year

The community of businessmen in cooperation with the Government intends to organize at the beginning of next year the second Business-forum “Investment Climate in Moldova”. The first forum was held in September 2005. Members of the Economic Council under the Premier stated Monday December 4 at a press conference that the 2005 Forum’s meeting was a course for a transparent communication, favoured the agreement of the positions and arguments of both parties, became an essential incentive to establish permanent dialogue concerning stringent problems between the businessmen and in the relations with Moldova’s leadership. All these were said as the majority of those attending the press conference recognized that neither half of businessmen’ proposals were not examined, or implemented by the authorities. Member of the Economic Council Iacob Tihman stated that lately in Moldova it is felt a real increase in economy: infrastructure, services, constructions are developing. Though, at the level of discussions, the remittances are attributed the merit of the economic growth, Tihman said that at present the salary of the professionals is increasing, so that the salary of USD 500-600 will be soon characteristic to Moldova. Referring to the dialogue with the authorities, Tihman mentioned the importance of it and that the authorities responded to the business community. On the other hand, businessman Igor Crapivca asserts that within one year the authorities did not give a concrete answer to the proposals formulated by the businessmen, especially as concern the issue of the budgetary-fiscal policy. “It was not formulated clear even the programme of reforming the current tax, which would lead the economy to a new stage of development”, said Crapivca. According to him, the present fiscal burden in Moldova is a great one and has increased in the last years, though the authorities assert the opposite. As a response to Crapivca’s observations, vice minister of Finances Ion Chicu mentioned that now the reduction of the taxes applied to the legal entities is practically impossible because it would cause the reduction of the incomes in the budget, which means arrears for pensions, indemnities, salaries for budgetary people, public investments. At the same time, he mentioned that the Government counts on the community of the business environment to harden the “fiscal administration in the limits of the law”. “I believe the business environment will give us a helping hand to reduce the dark economy, while the increase in the revenues in the budget will lead to a possible reduction to the taxes”, said Chicu. A group is already working for the organization of the Business-Forum and the organisation committee is set up. The business environment in the country is invited to forward proposals as concerns the improvement of the investment climate in Moldova.