The Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure worked out a number of legislative proposals that encourage retail traders who work based on the entrepreneur’s patent to switch over to independent activity. There will be imposed moratoriums on inspections or the carried out inspections will have a consultative purpose. Also, there will be instituted exemptions from the income tax or diminished some of the fiscal fines, including for small violations in the process of using cash registers, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, other changes include the raising of the annual cap on sales performed based on independent entrepreneurial activity from 600,000 lei to 1.2 million lei. Until December 2021, there will be designed a state program for supporting the development of businesses of patent holders of disadvantaged categories or the independent entrepreneurs will be able to apply to state programs managed by the Organization for the Development of the SME Sector (ODIMM).

The State Tax Service said the number of holders of at least one valid patent last December was of over 14,000, while of private individuals registered with independent activity at the Service was of about 1,600.

It is estimated that if the legislative proposals are adopted, about 7,000 patents holders during the next two years will chose an independent activity or other forms of entrepreneurship, on condition that the time limit for retail trade is maintained until December 31, 2022. It is planned that about 100 businesses based on patent, which are managed by private individuals of the disadvantaged categories, will be supported within ODIMM’s programs and turned into traditional forms of entrepreneurship until December 2022.