Pogonaru (Businessmen's Association): 2018 will be year of populism's revenge; we want logic from authorities

2018 will be the year of populism's revenge, which is devastating in both directions, namely both it grows and when it gets revenge, says Florin Pogonaru, President of the Businessmen's Association of Romania (AOAR). 

"Year 2018 will be the year of populism's revenge. What we saw in 2017, a number of populist measures, probably started earlier, these are usually taken before elections, and today's discussion that salaries have risen by 20% or not, in fact these decreased, it is a form of populism's revenge. Populism is not logical, it is devastating in both directions, both when it grows and when it gets its revenge, and when it does it affects all of us," Pogonaru said. 

Regarding the income tax reduction from 16% to 10%, the AOAR president has estimated that there will be dangers in terms of local administrations' funding. 

He drew attention to the fact that all the economic measures that have been applied since 2017 have been illogical and now they are trying to demonize businesspeople. 

"Sometimes in the press today we see that there is a certain demonization of the businessperson, claiming that they did not want to guarantee the increase in the net salary and all sorts of other measures coming from the Government. What we, the business environment want is transparency, predictability, stability, equality before economic laws and so on. What we, businesspeople want, is more than all these measures. It is logic." What characterized many of economic measures we saw in 2017 was their total lack of logic. When you, the most interested one, say, 'Do not cut my dividends anymore, I do not need it', 'Do not reduce my taxation from 16 % to 10%, I do not need it ',' It's an exaggeration to reduce VAT more, because we fuel consumption,' it's clear that we have a logic problem from those who initiate these measures. We want logic!", said Pogonaru.

AGERPRES