ILAN LAUFER, MMACA: "We will only pay the taxes that can be paid online"

Taxes that can't be paid online will not be paid at all, Ilan Laufer, state secretary in the Ministry for the Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship (MMACA), who mentioned that by December 2nd, 2018, every payment to the state would be made online.

This measure is part of the ministry's program to reduce bureaucracy, the official added, who said that after eliminating the 102 taxes, the authorities intend to reach just 50 taxes.

Among other things, Mr. Laufer has presented in detail, the Start Up Nation program, as the first payments for the entrepreneurs that join it will reach the beneficiaries in August.

The program, which is intended to stimulate the creation of new companies in Romania, is going to be approved by the Parliament and passed by the president of the country.

The requirements for accessing this program involve, among other things, the company being created after January 30, 2017, for a new job to be created for two years, and the business be a new one for the beneficiary.

The budget for the entire European program amounts to 1.7 billion lei, in which 1.2 billion lei - money from the state budget and 500 million lei - European funds.

According to Ilan Laufer, this program seeks the creation of approximately 10,000 start-ups and approximately 15,000-20,000 jobs. Several expenses will be eligible, including the payment of rent, wages and equipment, etc.

The application guidelines for Start Up Nation are nearing a final version, the ministry official said.

He mentioned that the procedure for joining the program would be launched by the end of May, with 30 days for applications. After the selection, within 30 more days, the documents will be assessed, in order to allow for the signing of the contracts.

There will be two payment mechanisms, Mr. Laufer said, namely reimbursement and the principle of requests for payment.

He also added that he has proposed to finance minister Viorel Ştefan to create a system by which startups that pay VAT would be able to deduct that tax right away.

"I think that the Start Up Nation program would be well received", Ilan Laufer said, who emphasized that, according to the polls, 25-30% of those interested in that program said that they would remain in the area of entrepreneurship even if they do not succeed in accessing Start Up Nation. The program has no age restrictions for applicants and will be conducted over a period of four years.

Ilan Laufer also spoke about the laws of prevention, which will be up for public debate until May 2nd. He mentioned that the Law of prevention creates a balance between the private sector and the auditing institutions of the state, avoiding direct sanctions. Thus, when the authorities go in for an audit and find over 300 offenses at a company, that company will not be fined by default, instead it will receive a compliance plan and be given 90 days to enter normalcy.

"We want to complete the law of lobbying and we have begun working on the law of public-partnership", he said.

Mr. Laufer said that the authorities are also working on the Multi-annual National Program dedicated to female entrepreneurs of the SME sector, which has available a budget of 1 million lei and finances the participation of women at national and international conferences and workshops.

"There is a trend in Romania, both in politics and in the business sector, that an increasing number of women with success stories are appearing. It is very hard to be a successful woman, and wife, and mother if it is the case, and that is one more reason why entrepreneur women should be appreciated", said Ilan Laufer, who mentioned that his desire was to have a more predictable and friendly business environment.