Financiarul

The association says that in the economically developed countries, in Western Europe, under conditions of a severe economic crisis, the measures taken to curb the negative effects were directed to a fiscal relaxation through the reduction of VAT for hotel accommodation services, in Germany from 22 percent to 7 percent and in France through the VAT reduction, applicable to restaurant services.

“We are confident that – irrespective of mass-media speculations – the Government will take measures to diminish the crisis effects and not to its deepening. So far, the private companies were heavily burdened by this economic downturn and it is counter-productive to further burden them through a raised taxation”, stressed Corina Martin, ANAT President.

ANAT asked the Ministry of Tourism, a few months ago, to cut VAT for all tourist services and to align it to the flat tax, of 9 percent, applicable exclusively to accommodation services. ANAT’s amendments to the Bill on Tourism provide among others the modification of VAT, set at 9 percent for all travel industry activities.

This should be applied only in the case of the economic agents operating in tourism field, providers of tourist services in Romania, authorized by the Ministry of Tourism and only on the validity period of the respective authorization. If the economic agent also has some other activities the 9 percent VAT is exclusively applied to the travel industry activity.

ANAT argues that the Romanian travel industry needs to be backed by the state authorities in a crisis period and urges to this end the identification of courageous solutions, with immediate impact upon the specific activity. Tourism can and must be an important national economic sector, which could decisively contribute to Romania’s economic recovery, the press release also says.