The consumers who will submit applications to court after January 1, 2012 will not pay the state tax of 3% of the value of the patrimonial lawsuit. The minimum tax is 150 lei. “Amendments were made to the law on the state tax and the law on the social protection of consumers. On January 1, 2012, the state tax for suits filed by end-users will be annulled,” the head of the Consumer Protection Center of Moldova Denis Starus has told Info-Prim Neo. According to Denis Starus, in many cases the persons suffer damage of 500-600 lei and have to pay a minimum tax of 150 lei. The consumers thus do not want to go to court. On the other hand, those who file lawsuits involving apartments and vehicles are to pay rather large sums. “On January 1, 2012 this tax will be annulled and the end-users will be able to go to court without impediments to defend their rights and interests,” said the head of the Consumer Protection Center. He also said that it is important to try to settle the matters amicably. The court should be the last institution from which help is sought. The trials imply time, preparations and costs. “There is a positive trend as regards the reaching of amicable settlements. The economic entities know that the court will oblige them to pay damages and penalties,” said Denis Starus. According to the Consumer Protection Center of Moldova, over 14,000 complaints from consumers have been examined since 2002, when the Center launched a hotline. The Center also represented about 300 end-users in court. The persons most often complain about the quality of the goods and services.