Cash Payment Limits Divide Coalition: Liberals Suggest 10,000 Lei Cap

After the government assumed the imposition of a cap on cash payments in the ordinance with the new fiscal measures, the liberals are contesting it through the voice of their party leader, Nicolae Ciucă. PSD chairman Marcel Ciolacu responded by saying that the liberal Minister of Finance supported the proposal that came from ANAF, and within the coalition, he did not hear any opposition.

PNL President Nicolae Ciucă stated that he “did not agree within the Coalition with the limitation of cash payments from the beginning” because he knew the state of the country’s ATM infrastructure. Ciucă declared on Monday that the measure to cap cash payments needs to be revised as soon as possible.

“At the moment, banks need to come and support the Romanian economy,” said the PNL leader, claiming that the cash limitation measure “needs to be revised as soon as possible” because he does not believe that the “average citizen is the one contributing to this tax evasion.”

The PNL President argues that the coalition’s decision was not made unilaterally: “It was a decision we all discussed, and we all understood at the time that it was an accepted decision, which practically contributes to reducing tax evasion. I do not believe that the average citizen contributes to this evasion.”

In response, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu claims that the Finance Minister came and said that the technical team at ANAF made these proposals, and at that moment, within the coalition, he did not hear any voices of opposition.

Ciolacu also stated that his priority is combating tax evasion and emphasized that it is not about giving up; it is about ensuring that people are not affected. “I don’t know if changing the caps is the best solution. It’s a problem for small business owners,” he added, announcing that he will meet with banks and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“It would have been embarrassing for me as the Prime Minister to come out and criticize the proposals of ANAF experts; it was not a political proposal. Furthermore, the Minister of Finance came, and, as it’s only natural, we have the highest tax evasion rate in Europe, we talk about it, but we don’t want to take any measures. The Minister of Finance came and said that the technical team at ANAF made these proposals. At that moment, within the coalition, I did not hear any voices,” Ciolacu stated.

The Prime Minister announced after the party leadership meeting that he would have a meeting with banks today and then with SMEs regarding the cash payment limits.