PNL's Bolojan: Country's budgetary balance is very delicate

The interim chairperson of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Ilie Bolojan, said that if the state operating expenses are not reduced by eliminating wastefulness, it is only a matter of time "until taxes have to be increased", Agerpres reports.

"I have not made any promises and I ask you to keep in mind that there will be no new taxes. We need to know the following and not create unfounded expectations for Romanians. The country's budgetary balance is very delicate, because last year, but not only last year, also in previous years, we spent more than we can afford, I emphasize that.

Therefore, we have two - three possibilities - either we decrease our state's operating expenses by eliminating wastefulness, we control our investments, we continue to take loans or, if we don't do this, it is only a matter of time until taxes have to be increased and not only will they be increased, there will also be some very bad consequences for our country. Consequently, we have to be realistic and I will always claim that before increasing taxes we should see what we can do to reduce our expenses to the maximum and to control our spending," Bolojan told private broadcaster Digi 24.

He mentioned that he has asked the PNL ministers to make public the collective labor agreements that provide for "sometimes preposterous" rights.

"I have asked the ministers, if we cannot change the mandate contracts from one day to the next that these people who run state companies have, regardless of which ministry, if we cannot change the collective labor agreements that provide for sometimes preposterous rights for certain components of state companies, for example, but also of certain authorities, then I have asked them and I believe that all must be made public. (...) Transparency is an mandatory matte (...)," the PNL interim chairperson added. Ilie Bolojan mentioned that the 'little train' ordinance, which was adopted by the Government, has a fundamental role, "because state spending has not been increased".

"If it had not been adopted, we would not have had a deficit of over 8%, but we would have reached 11-12%, which would have meant Romania defaulting on its debt," Bolojan said.