“The changes coming into effect will take us straight to the top.” A sociologist points out that Romania will be a leader where no one wants to be
The increase in taxes on houses and cars will be perceived by Romanians as a real shock, warns sociologist Vladimir Ionaș. This will most likely only make AUR and the other opposition parties grow even more, while the population will become increasingly hostile to the ruling coalition.
Romanians will pay taxes on huge cars, while others pay nothing. PHOTO: Shutterstock
Romania will have higher property and car taxes from 2026. The measure, which is extremely unpopular, is part of a more complex plan of the Executive, through which taxation increases in stages.
Sociologist Vladimir Ionaș warns that the increase in property taxes will be difficult for a population that is already burdened and is tired of bearing the consequences of the state's erroneous economic policies. In fact, even if Romania currently has a somewhat lower housing tax than Poland or other countries, the change in calculation methods will change the situation diametrically. In a post on Facebook, Vladimir Ionaș shows that, starting from January 2026, Romania will become a regional leader in this regard, with taxes on real estate properties going to be higher than in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
“The increase in the value of the tax on houses and cars will be the blow that a large part of society will feel the hardest. We will see its reaction in January/February. It is true that Romania currently has (next to Hungary) the lowest taxes on housing. In Hungary in many localities it is zero. Poland, the Czech Republic or Bulgaria (we are looking at the region and not going to the West) have somewhat higher taxes. The changes that come into force on January 1st will lead directly to the top. Changing the calculation according to the market value will take us slightly above Bulgaria and well above Poland, the Czech Republic or Slovakia.”
supports Ionaș.
Taxes yes, salaries no
The analyst also notes another aspect, which the Romanian authorities do not take into account. The average salary is obviously lower than in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while the average pension in Romania is much lower than in the listed states.
“It is interesting that in terms of taxes, Romania is quickly surpassing this country, but from the perspective of the average salary, even if we have recovered extremely much in recent years, we are still below all 3. The biggest problem will be for that part of society, numerous in an aging society, which lives on pensions. Regarding the average pension, Romania is far behind the 3 countries that we brilliantly surpass in terms of taxation”, Ionas shows.
Things aren't much different when it comes to car taxes either. The only difference is that while Romanians will pay car taxes comparable to Western states, in the three countries the population does not pay any kind of car tax.
“We don't talk about the car tax anymore. Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia do not have an annual car tax for individuals”, concludes Vladimir Ionaș.
What happens to house and car taxes
The Bolojan government decided that the increase in taxes on houses and cars will increase as early as 2026. According to the data presented by Profit.ro and then taken over at the national level, the tax on housing will increase significantly, by almost 80%. Specifically, according to the cited source, for a three-room apartment in Bucharest for which a tax of 198 lei was paid this year, from 2026 355 lei will be paid.
As for cars, the new taxes will mainly take into account their age and pollution. And in this case, the most affected will be Romanians with low and medium incomes, who usually own cars bought second-hand. Old, polluting cars will cost owners more and more, while new cars, especially electric cars, will be more reasonably taxed.
