Several taxes for extracting water were doubled

At the proposal of the Government, the Parliament has increased the tax for extracting several categories of water. This provision is included in a larger package of amendments related to the tax policy for 2008, proposed by the Government. The tax will be doubled for 1 cubic metre of water extracted from the fund of waters – MDL 1, tax for extracting natural mineral water – MDL 16, as well as the tax for 10 cubic metres of water used at the hydro-electric plants. According to the Tax Code, the tax for water is paid by the legal and natural persons performing entrepreneurial activities, regardless of the property type and legal organisation form (excepting the households from villages and the farmers, who do not have a water-pumping system for the artificial irrigation of lands), the non-commercial and public organisations, the bars of lawyers and the private notaries. The tax is not applied for the underground waters extracted from the subsoil together with the ores or extracted for preventing and liquidating the harmful effect of these waters; for the water used for putting out fires; for breeding fish; water used for the companies of blind, deaf and disabled persons, by the public medical institutions; as well as the water used by the enterprises within the penitentiary system.