Lia Olguța Vasilescu, sharp message for Ilie Bolojan regarding the amounts obtained from the tax increase: “We will not accept”
Lia Olguta Vasilescu, Photo: Agerpres
The mayor of the municipality of Craiova, the social-democrat Lia Olguţa Vasilescu, does not agree that the money obtained from the increase in local taxes should be taken to the national budget, appreciating that the collected amounts should remain with the local authorities, and the issue will be resolved in a future meeting of the Coalition.
Lia Olguţa Vasilescu stated, on Friday, on Antena 3 CNN, that Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan communicated at the last meeting with the representatives of the Associations of Municipalities that this year's budget is based on the increase in local taxes and that this increase will be taken over to the national budget, notes News.ro.
“In other words, the mayors keep cursing, because they increased local taxes, and the money goes to the national budget. If until now the citizen paid 100 lei, and from this year he pays 200 lei, 100 lei will be taken from the national budget. Because he does not have the right to take from local taxes, it is deducted from the IVG quotas (global income tax – no) that the government gave them localities”, explained Lia Olguţa Vasilescu.
She announced that she conveyed to the prime minister that the mayors do not agree with this option, because in this case the local budgets would remain at the level of last year.
“I conveyed to the prime minister at that meeting that it is impossible to accept such a thing and, attention, I am not talking only about the PSD mayors, because at that meeting there were mayors from all over the country, from all parties. I have also seen what is happening these days with swearing mayors who entered the meetings of the Local Council. Those poor people are not to blame”, declared the mayor of Craiova.
Lia Olguţa Vasilescu claims that, as long as people pay higher taxes, they want the services offered by the town hall to be better.
The mayor of Craiova announced that this issue will be settled in the coalition in the coming days.
“Mr. Bolojan announced to us in November that this is how the budget is based. Well, the budget has not even been made, it is a discussion that will be split into the coalition. These days will be the discussion. We will not accept that all the money that is from this surplus goes to the government”, added Lia Olguţa Vasilescu.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan recently stated that, from January 1, taxes have increased for all individuals, and this represents the contribution of house and apartment owners to the local budget. With this money, local administrations will be able to create better living conditions for them.
