USR senator: VAT rate irrelevant if the state doesn't go on a slimming diet

Save Romania Union (USR) Senate floor leader Stefan Palarie highlighted the need for the package of measures adopted by the government in order to reduce the budget deficit and criticized the censure motions filed by the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) as "populist maneuvering".

"With today's populist maneuvering, AUR doesn't truly want reform. They go against the population's desire for a citizen-friendly state, a business-friendly state, with no more bureaucracy and where the state isn't hijacked by local sycophants and barons. AUR is only doing its usual act - the same today, with the reading of these censure motions against packages of measures that are for the good of Romania. (...) USR is true to its former stance and supports the measures initiated by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan (...) and everything that means putting an end to public money squandering, because the Romanian state can no longer be lavish with its own employees and very unfriendly with the citizens. If we continue to spend money at this rate and the state doesn't go on a slimming diet, it doesn't matter any more what the VAT rate is. USR, along with the governing colleagues, will participate in debates and back the government in the face of these censure motions," Stefan Palarie said on Thursday at the Palace of Parliament, agerpres reports.

He explained that all the reform packages to narrow the budget deficit "were written with a sense of responsibility and with the intention to have them come into force as soon as the censure motions are defeated and the constitutional challenges are rejected".

In conclusion, Palarie said that Romania can no longer afford to endlessly postpone reform, as the citizens have lost their patience and want to see true social equity taking over.