The Minister of Labor, asked if he was personally affected by the tax increases: “My wife paid, I don't have a property” / Florin Manole brings up progressive taxation again
Florin Manole, Minister of Labour. Inquam Photos / George Calin
The PSD Minister of Labour, Florin Manole, brought progressive taxation back into the discussion, as a solution for “a fairer fiscal system”, in the context of tax increases, appreciating that the increase in property taxes particularly affected Romanians with low incomes. Asked if he was personally affected by these increases, Manole answered: “My parents and my wife paid, because I don't have a property. But yes, taxes have increased considerably.”
The Minister of Labor was asked, Sunday evening, on Digi 24, if the increases in taxes and property taxes from January 1, 2026 affected him personally, he replied that he does not have a property and that those who paid are his parents and his wife, reports News.ro.
“My parents and my wife paid, because I don't have a property. But yes, the taxes have increased considerably. There is no exception for any person, we all felt it, for sure, with greater pressure for those with lower incomes. The wife paid for the house in Chitila approximately 1,200 lei, compared to 400-500 lei last year. It was a consistent increase”, said Florin Manole.
Manole emphasized that these tax increases were felt the most by those with low incomes, explaining that the real problem is not the impact on families with high incomes, but the disproportionate effect on those with limited financial resources.
“It's not the high earners in this country who are the problem when we talk about property taxes. I'm not going to be ridiculous here and say that the family budget has had a huge impact on this issue. But for people with low incomes, this taxation has been felt very much and that's a problem,” said the Minister of Labor.
“The only solution is progressive taxation”
In this context, Florin Manole brought progressive taxation back into discussion. “This is the only solution for any civilized country in the European Union. The only solution is progressive taxation.”
According to the Minister of Labor, this is the solution “to not put equal pressure on those with low incomes and those with high incomes”.
“Progressive taxation has behind it reports from the European Commission, the World Bank and analyzes that show how much money we could collect in addition. It is extremely important,” he said.
