Romanians pay more local taxes online, by card

The value of local taxes paid by card online increased by 52% year-on-year in the first two months of 2015, exceeding RON 10 million (some EUR 2.2 million). This represents over 40% of the amounts paid online throughout 2014, according to data reported by Visa Europe member banks in Romania. In January and February this year, Romanians made nearly 40,000 online tax payments to local authorities, up 49% year-on-year. At the end of last year, 110 municipalities accepted online payments for local taxes, via ghiseul.ro or their platforms. “We exceeded 65,000 active users on ghiseul.ro in March, compared to 50,000 active accounts in early-2015, which shows that more and more taxpayers are clearly interested in the speed, comfort and safety of online payments," said Catalin Cretu, Visa Europe’s regional manager for Romania, Croatia and Slovenia. Visa Europe, together with its member banks in Romania, run until end-March 2015 the sixth annual edition of the national campaign to foster local tax payments by card. Payments by card can also be made at local administrations offices, at the POS installed in post offices that accept credit card transactions, in special locations opened by Visa in commercial centers, in local administrations offices, supermarkets and malls. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com