The bloc “Together” calls on the government to ensure a constructive dialogue with the local elected representatives of all the pro-European parties and not to allow anti-democratic slippages. In a statement, the bloc argues that Moldova’s mayors are under unprecedented pressure from the inspection bodies, while the public and external funds are used as mechanisms for blackmailing and recruiting mayors. The bloc also asks to adopt a fiscal package for LPAs, IPN reports.
In its statement, the bloc condemns any kind of interference, pressure and abuse, as well as the use of public funds and external funding to favor party switching and recruit democratically elected mayors.
The public funds and external funding are used as mechanisms to blackmail and recruit mayors. For example, in Hancesti district, mayors are forced to join the ruling party if they want their applications for funding within particular programs, including those that are financially supported from external sources, such as the European Village Program, to be approved.
The mayor’s offices in the country underfinance public services and fail to fulfill functional duties. Thus, the local budgets no longer cope with the challenges and it becomes necessary to decentralize particular budgetary resources that are generated and accumulated in local communities.
In connection with the initiation of the voluntary amalgamation of localities, the bloc asks for the adoption of a fiscal package for LPAs to allow keeping at least 50% of the income tax of legal entities in the local budget, to direct the income tax of individuals to the local budget of the locality where the employee has the residence and to transfer to the local budgets a quota of 5% of the VAT accumulated in that locality. It is also required to increase up to 100% the amount of the income tax for individuals, which would go to local budgets, for all the localities of the Republic of Moldova, and to deprive district councils of 50% of this tax, which is currently taken from district residence cities.
According to the “Together” bloc, such a package of fiscal measures will increase the capacity to solve local problems, make localities resilient to them and increase the quality of public services provided to citizens.
