What answer does Kelemen Hunor say that Prime Minister Bolojan gave him when he proposed the reduction of local taxes

The leader of UDMR, Kelemen Hunor, who proposed the reduction of local taxes and fees, believes that local authorities should be allowed to decide, depending on the possibilities, within established limits, a reduction of up to 50% of the taxes they approved in December 2025. He also said that he spoke on the phone with Ilie Bolojan on this topic, and the prime minister asked him for “a break”.

Kelemen Hunor says that he has discussed with the prime minister about the UDMR's proposal to reduce local taxes and fees, increased from January 1, 2026, and that he is going to meet with him.

“I'm not speculating”

Asked by journalists, on Wednesday, at the Parliament, if the governing coalition breaks up if the prime minister doesn't want to return to lower taxes, Kelemen Hunor answered: “I don't speculate until I talk to the prime minister. He said yesterday when we spoke on the phone that he had meetings, we didn't manage to see each other, that he was asking for a break to talk to those from Finance. (…) At the moment he has the support of the coalition.”

Kelemen Hunor said his proposal is for tax cuts to be up to 50% and to be decided by local authorities, “depending on the possibilities”.

“I think that in politics you have to admit if you were wrong”

“I believe that no one is absurd, this option can be followed, especially since last week the Government issued an emergency ordinance for those in the Delta and the Western Mountains (no- for the reduction of local taxes). And, until the budget is approved, where the revenues must be entered, such a decision can be returned. That was our request, that was our proposal. (…) So, from this point of view, I think that in politics you have to admit if you were wrong, it is not and cannot be considered a sign of weakness, but a sign of maturity and responsibility”, said Kelemen Hunor, at the Parliament.

Asked what he thinks will happen, if a reduction were to come, in the case of those who have already paid the increased taxes, the UDMR leader claimed that this “can be regulated” by the local authorities, because “it is a technicality”: “Either the money is returned, or next year it is calculated. So, I don't see a problem there. We are talking about a direction and a political intention and the technicalities can be established by those from Finance and the local authorities, but that it is resolved. Many years ago, when I paid more, the City Hall returned the difference to me. So, this is not a problem.”

“If we don't give a waiting horizon, then all kinds of apocalyptic scenarios appear”

Asked if, in his opinion, a VAT reduction would be possible, as happened in other European countries, Kelemen Hunor emphasized that an analysis is needed:

“The first time we have to analyze, and we didn't do this analysis by numbers, what happened last year after the VAT increase, beyond the fact that we know that inflation was high, inflation was at almost 10%, which reduced purchasing power, and we know that consumption was reduced a lot, by a lot, a lot. So, from this point of view, an analysis is needed.

On the other hand, the Government had to give citizens an expectation horizon, including related to VAT, not only from the political and economic perspective, but what will happen in a year, two years from now, because if we don't give an expectation horizon, then all kinds of apocalyptic scenarios appear. And that's why I also considered last year that certain measures – I don't want to go into details, that we didn't discuss in the coalition – should be considered as temporary measures”.