The New Year comes with chain price rises. Cigarettes, alcohol and compulsory car insurance will cost us more from 1 January.
Starting next year, Romanians will pay more for a meal at a restaurant and for hotel accommodation. For these services, VAT increases from 5% to 9%.
Romanians will also pay more for vices. Excise duty on cigarettes will rise and electronic cigarettes will be charged for the first time across the European Union.
Other guilty pleasures will be more expensive as well. VAT on sugary fizzy drinks will rise from 9% to 19%. The same goes for non-alcoholic beer.
RCA insurance will also become more expensive, because insurance companies are obliged, from next year, to pay higher contributions to the Guarantee Fund.