News about State budget and taxes

The Ministry of Education and Research is proposing changes to the rules for selecting and purchasing school textbooks. Under the proposed changes, the weight of quality in determining the winning bid will increase from 70% to 90%, while the weight of price will decrease from 30% to 10%.

The Ministry of Finance has completed work on a draft government resolution that transposes the European Commission’s decision on technical standards for safety features applied to tobacco products into national law.

The budget for the Regional State Aid Scheme for investments in the Republic of Moldova will be increased from 2 to 4 billion lei. The relevant changes are provided for in a draft government resolution prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.

The government will not be able to fulfill its commitment to raise salaries for public sector employees effective September 1 of this year, in accordance with the new Law on Wages in the Public Sector. The reason is a revision of the fiscal and tax policy for 2027.

Last month, the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) transferred nearly one billion lei to the state budget from its profits for the 2025 fiscal year, following an independent external audit of the institution’s financial statements. This amount represents half of the central bank’s distributable profits. The other half will be used to increase the NBM’s authorized capital.

Finance Minister Victoria Belous provided some details regarding the taxation of individuals in their dealings with legal entities.

Finance Minister Victoria Belous revealed some details of the draft budget and tax policy for 2027 that pertain to businesses. 

Moldova will introduce VAT and a 12-leu fee on international packages. This proposal has been included in the 2027 budget and tax policy draft, the outline of which was presented by Prime Minister Vasile Tofan during a press conference.

The increase in the corporate income tax rate for banks from 12% to 18% does not pose a major risk to the economy, especially since the tax is scheduled to be in effect for one year. This view was expressed by the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu.

Our approach is not to raise taxes, but to shift the tax burden in the right direction: lower taxes on labor, and higher taxes on vices and excess profits.

The government has revised the most controversial proposal in the previous draft budget and tax policy for 2027—the plan to raise the VAT rate to 20 percent. VAT rates will be differentiated.

One of the key priorities of the Republic of Moldova’s new tax policy for 2027, presented by Prime Minister Vasile Tofan on August 6, will be a review of the approach to personal income taxation. The reform focuses primarily on creating conditions for the growth of disposable income for citizens who receive official wages and participate in the formal economy. This principle is reflected in the very title of the draft: “Labor. Investment. Justice.”

The Competition Council imposed a fine of 683,000 lei on Labromed Laborator SRL for abuse of a dominant position. The company inflated the prices of breathalyzers, compatible mouthpieces, and related device calibration services in a market where consumers had no real alternatives. The difference between the purchase price and the selling price reached 490% for breathalyzers and 733% for mouthpieces. The gross profit margin on calibration services reached 1,039%.

The introduction of a 6% tax on the revenue of companies operating in the gambling industry, a 50% increase in excise taxes on e-cigarettes, a 20% increase on traditional cigarettes, and the imposition of excise taxes on soda, energy drinks, and fireworks—these measures have been proposed as part of a new tax policy. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan announced this during the presentation of the “Labor. Investment. Justice” project.

The personal tax deduction will be increased by approximately 35%—from the current 29,700 lei to 40,000 lei per year. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan made this announcement during the presentation of the tax policy draft titled “Labor. Investment. Justice.”

Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan announced an increase in the corporate income tax rate for banks and financial institutions from 12% to 18%. This measure, which increases the rate by 50%, will be temporary—lasting only one tax year as part of the 2027 budget and tax policy.

Property transferred from state material reserves must be returned after use to avoid duplicate purchases. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan believes that the current practice leads to unnecessary expenses and proposes changing the rules to follow Romania’s example, where temporarily transferred equipment can be returned to the state reserves.

The government has postponed consideration of a bill to introduce a financial guarantee for environmental restoration in connection with mineral extraction. The decision was made following appeals from the business community—some of the bill’s provisions will be revised based on further consultations.

The concept for the new tax reform will be officially presented on August 6, but the authorities have already revealed its main provisions. The previous version of the document was withdrawn following a wave of criticism from the public and the business community and is said to have been one of the reasons for the government’s resignation.

The Ministry of Finance has developed new reporting requirements for businesses. They will take effect upon Moldova’s accession to the European Union.