Major taxpayers owe $2.15bn to state budget

The total overdue debts to the state budget registered by the major taxpayers amount to 69,400bn ROL (some $2.15bn), state secretary within the Finance Ministry Neculae Plaiasu said.

The Finance Ministry on Wednesday published on its website the list including every major taxpayer still in debt to the state budget. The document highlights the companies with overdue payment obligations, which had failed to pay up by May 19, 2003.

The companies undergoing judicial liquidation and those that have debt challenging procedures running were not included in the list.

“We published the debts to discourage new arrears. This step has already produced positive results, meaning that many preferred to pay up just to keep off the list,” Plaiasu said.

The list comprises 519 companies. The document will be updated on a quarterly basis, with those paying their debts removed within 15 days from fulfilment of their obligations.

The Finance Ministry official says the largest debts are those of Rompetrol Rafinare, which operates the Petromidia Refinery (11,585bn ROL).

The runners-up are Compania Nationala a Huilei (National Pitcoal Company) with 6,634bn ROL and Compania Nationala a Lignitului (National Lignite Company) Oltenia with 3,980bn ROL.

Plaiasu said Petromidia had paid some 1,000bn ROL in excises alone in April, which effort should be appreciated, because collecting 1,000bn ROL in excises in one month is a very important thing indeed.

Rompetrol was quick to react to the news. It says the above-mentioned debt is actually “the State’s debt to itself, dating back to the time when it owned and ran the refinery.”

The company, run by businessman Dinu Patriciu, also a famous politician, added Petromidia was the only entity in the group carrying the burden of debt ($325 million), part of which Rompetrol knew nothing about when it acquired it. Rompetrol added Petromidia was perfectly capable of paying all its current liabilities to the State. miruna.lebedencu@zf.ro