Sergiu Harea and Andrian Gavrilitae
The Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a discussion with representatives of the Ministry of Finance, local authorities and business associations on local taxes.
The meeting discussed the problems of interaction between businesses and local authorities and the impact of local taxes on their activities. The participants analyzed possible solutions to create a more predictable, fair and investment-friendly financial system.
Opening the meeting, Sergiu Harya, President of the Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that this is the second meeting organized this year jointly with the Ministry of Finance on fiscal policy issues.
He stressed that the members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented a string of proposals on the amendment of the Fiscal Code, including the one on local taxes. They are formulated taking into account the problems faced by economic entities.
Companies need uniform rules
“It is important for the business environment that local taxes are applied in a clear, predictable and balanced manner,” he said. – Companies need uniform rules and a fiscal framework that encourages investment, the development of economic activity in the regions and job creation.”
One of the topics was the situation with local taxes applied to the HoReCa sector, including the tax on hotel facilities. The participants drew attention to the lack of clear limit values, which leads to uneven application of taxes by local authorities and creates difficulties for economic entities.
Representatives of the market trade sector emphasized the need to revise the mechanism for calculating the market levy. According to them, it is currently calculated based on the total area of the market, but the mechanism should be adjusted so that the calculation should be linked to the actual commercial area used and leased for trading activities.
Balance between autonomy and sustainability
“We are in a constructive dialog with representatives of local authorities and the business environment regarding the need for simpler and more predictable taxes,” said Finance Minister Andrian Havrilice. – We want to find a balance between financial autonomy of local authorities and a stable fiscal system for entrepreneurs”.
The participants emphasized the need to establish clear limits and uniform rules for the application of taxes in order to avoid different local interpretations and difficulties faced by economic agents.
Representatives of the Congress of Local Authorities (CALM) reiterated the importance of updating the local tax base so that it can support both the development of local communities and entrepreneurs.
At the same time, the need for a strategic vision of business development in the territories was emphasized, which would help attract investment and strengthen the regional economy.
