Government and private sector are in two separate worlds

The private sector has for the first time used harsher terms
to criticise the government’s policy, after it decided without
taking too much time to think about it to increase VAT by 5%,
complaining that the Romanian authorities are living in a parallel
universe, completely disconnected from the private sector.
The Foreign Investors Council, which comprises 117 companies,
the American Chamber of Commerce, as well as companies with
hundreds of millions of euros in turnover, yesterday criticised the
government’s measures, saying they will slow down the recovery of
the economy, which has been in recession in the last five
quarters.
“The two days we have available are not enough to plan
operations in an efficient manner, so as to limit negative effects
on the business. What we are doing now is resorting to a force
majeure induced modus operandi,” explains Bianca Vasilescu, Chief
Financial Officer of MOL Romania.
All investors are complaining about the shortness of time to
implement the measure, explaining that companies are using complex
IT systems that require time and financial resources to be
adjusted.
“I only hope they weighed things well. Raising VAT is similar
to removing fuel from a car. You make it lighter, but, if you
remove too much, you can be left stranded in the middle of the
road,” said Jan Veskrna, executive general manager of CEZ
Romania.