Boc goes after the fortunes of businesspeople, the only ones who can pull the country out of the crisis

The prime minister yesterday stated a tax on high fortunes is being mulled. "Cars registered in Bulgaria can already be seen in the streets of Romania. This will happen with individuals' fortunes, too," say businesspeople. A new tax, on the population's large fortunes, could scare domestic capital even more, after two years of crisis during which most businesspeople have seen their fortunes halve. The first proposal in this sense came in early 2010 from a PSD deputy, and the Government started considering this option of boosting budget revenues after a week ago the representatives of the National Union for Romania's Progress (UNPR), the party led by Gabriel Oprea, stated they finalised a draft law on the introduction of a "solidarity tax" of 1% on fortunes topping 450,000 euros, including housing units, land plots, planes, helicopters or boats. "We're analysing a draft starting from UNPR proposal, on taxing large fortunes. Very many fortunes are not probably taxed at their real value. UNPR proposal is a start, there are also other alternatives," premier Emil Boc stated yesterday on the public radio station. The proposal has met with opposition from the business environment, which considers such a move would scare domestic capital even more, in the context where people who have more houses buy them either as an investment, or to leave them to their children, with these as the two main reasons why people buy more houses.