Individual tax payers in Romania have accumulated RON 14-15 billion (EUR 3-3.2 billion) worth of debts to the state in the last five years, according to finance minister Eugen Teodorovici.

The Finance Ministry wants to stimulate individuals to pay their debts to the state this year, he added, local Agerpres reported.

He explained that some categories of tax payers haven’t received payment notifications from the tax authority in recent years, so it’s partly the state’s fault. However, he added that all tax payers should know the law and to pay their taxes to the state.

Teodorovici also said that the Finance Ministry would come up with a mechanism to stimulate tax payers to pay their debts this year, which may include bonuses for those who pay their debts by the end of the year. Recovering these debts represents one of the solutions for keeping the budget deficit under 3% of GDP this year, according to the finance minister.

editor@romania-insider.com