The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, said on Wednesday that the proposal for taxing medical leave came from the Ministry of Finance. The official stated that it remains to be determined whether this taxation will be raised for all categories.
Rafila believes that the taxation of medical leaves does not represent over-taxation Photo: Archive
“As far as you know, the Ministry of Finance is with our coalition colleagues, that's where the proposal came from. I understand it, from the financier's point of view, if you will, I am not a financier. But, of course, there are patients who have chronic diseases, oncological patients for whom the costs of everyday life are also important, and the discussion that exists at the moment is to analyze whether this taxation will be raised for some categories or in general. Wait, let's have discussions, but certainly for patients with chronic or oncological diseases, I had a position in this regard, there will be a reparative measure“, said Rafila, during a press conference in Slobozia.
The Minister of Health believes that the taxation of medical leave does not represent an overtaxation. “When you work, you receive a salary, the income is taxed at 10%. In the case of medical leaves, the income is not taxed. It is about the taxation of that income. There was an emergency ordinance, initiated by the Ministry of Finance, which also included the income from medical leaves in this tax grid, which is currently applied. If you say it is overtaxation, it is understood that it is an additional tax. There is no additional tax involved, just to make things clear at the outset!“, Rafila also said, according to Agerpres.
The government introduced it
The government introduced a 10% sick leave surcharge late last year to discourage the phenomenon, and now wants to scrap it. This could be eliminated through an Emergency Ordinance, under pressure from civil society. The decision will also be put to a vote in the Chamber of Deputies, after the senators voted to eliminate the tax.
