71 percent of entrepreneurs do not support reintroduction of criminal liability for non-payment of taxes

Nearly three-quarters of Romanian entrepreneurs argue that they are against reintroducing criminal liability for the non-payment of taxes and contributions, according to a survey conducted by The National Council for Small and Medium-sized Private Enterprises in Romania (CNIPMMR), released on Tuesday. In the SME test, conducted between 20 and 30 September, as many as 1,987 entrepreneurs participated. To the question "Do you consider appropriate the measure of reintroducing in the Law on tax evasion the criminal liability for the retaining and non-payment, the collection and non-payment or, by case, the non-retainment or non-collection of the taxes and/or contributions", 71.1 of the respondents replied that they do not support this amendment. "The Minister of Finance, Eugen Teodorovici, said he needs 10,000 signatures, otherwise he no longer supports this law. We have collected 2,000 electronic signatures opposing this initiative, collected within only one week. If he insists, we will gather 10,000 signatures of the entrepreneurs who are against it," Florin Jianu, president of CNIPMMR, told on Tuesday, a press conference. "Not only business people are in danger of going to jail, but all the citizens of this country, even pensioners. Here we also find the taxes on the income from pensions, we find the CASs [pension contribution] due by the employees, the income tax from sports activities, so if you are an athlete and you have earned income that you may not have received, as you do not receive it immediately, but you did not pay your taxes and dues, you are liable to go to prison," said the SME representative. This category also includes doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, auditors, dentists, other similar professions, as well as journalists. According to him, the income tax on intellectual property also belongs in the incriminated categories. Regarding the taxation of the revenues from the intellectual property rights, their inclusion on this list "is a very fine way to muzzle the press," said Florin Rogojinaru, the Secretary General of CNIPMMR. "I regret to see that the current Minister of Finance is always promoting things to the limits of the law. I would like to see him more alongside successful models, role models, models of people who pay their contributions on time, companies that for decades have had no delays in payments due to the state budget. Let's see them out in the spotlight. To see the Minister of Finance coming and shaking hands with an entrepreneur and thanking them for their honesty, for paying taxes and duties to the state," said Jianu.AGERPRES(RO - author: Florentina Cernat, editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)