Romanian business association Concordia published on December 18 a 20-point plan to relaunch the Romanian economy in 2026 by eliminating taxes and extending tax credit to companies, encouraging corporate lending by pension funds and banks under looser regulations, extending more corporate grants from national and EU budgets, training the workforce under better public-funded schemes and investing more in infrastructure – all these under a stable and predictable fiscal framework, ideally without increasing the budget revenues.

The first of the 20 points of the plan regards eliminating the minimum income tax (IMCA) and keeping the flat income tax rate (as opposed to progressive taxation recommended by the IMF and a practice in most countries). 

Concordia's president, Dan Sucu, required a safety net to be provided by the state for companies.

The economic relaunch plan inked by Concordia comes after president Nicusor Dan invited the business community to come up with ready-made draft laws to be quickly implemented by the state  that lacks the capacity of elaborating strategies "at least for a couple of years."

According to the proposals of the Concordia Employers' Confederation, companies must benefit from state support during periods when the economy is doing worse, and the increase in the minimum wage must come with measures to help the business environment.

The public policies should not be drafted by "economists in offices, or politicians, Concordia president Dan Sucu argued. 

"We are asking for a partnership, that's what we are trying to explain. Listen! Stop coming up with decisions made by an economist in an office or by a politician. Listen! Things don't look the same on the grass as you see them there, in a nice office in Bucharest. Things look different. Listen, that's all we want," he stated during a press conference organised by Concordia, according to Ziarul Financiar.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)