A new legislative project comes in support of Romanian employees, aiming at the elimination of the so-called “sickness tax”. The draft law will enter the debate of the Chamber of Deputies.
Bill to abolish the so-called “sickness tax”
Parliamentarians of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) have initiated in the Chamber of Deputies a bill to eliminate the well-known “sickness tax”, UDMR deputy Csép Éva Andrea announced on Wednesday.
The draft law will enter the debate of the Chamber of Deputies and will represent an important step in the direction of protecting the rights of people in vulnerable situations due to chronic diseases or other health problems.
“Within the parliamentary procedure, we are initiating the elimination of the recently introduced tax on medical leave. It is the Government’s responsibility to check whether those who take sick leave are doing so because of illness or there are abuses, not to impose additional taxes on sick people. The Parliament must urgently put on the agenda the amendment of the legislation in this sense”, said deputy Csép Éva Andrea, according to a press release.
Csép Éva Andrea said that the UDMR strongly opposes the imposition of any additional tax and considers it unacceptable that people facing chronic diseases, pregnant women with maternal risk or mothers who care for sick children should be penalized.
According to her, sick people are in a vulnerable situation and should receive adequate support and treatment from the state, without having their incomes reduced during sick leave by imposing taxes.
The UDMR deputy recalled that, last December, the governing coalition introduced, through an emergency normative act, the payment, starting from January 1, 2024, by any person on medical leave of an additional 10% health insurance tax (CASS).
This money should not be taken by the state
She pointed out that this is a new measure, as until now the amounts received during sick leave were taxed with 25% social insurance contributions (CAS) and 10% income tax, and now an additional 10% health insurance contribution is added .
“A person living on the average salary in Romania pays the state, every day, starting from January, the amount of 18 lei, if he is on medical leave. This money should not be taken by the state, but given as support to sick people or parents who take care of sick children for their speedy recovery, which unfortunately is often a financial problem. The government cannot make it impossible for these people, especially when the news reports daily about people dying in front of hospitals, and the health system faces many challenges in providing services”, emphasized the UDMR parliamentarian de Mureș.
Csép Éva Andrea highlighted that the introduction of this additional “sickness tax” represents an additional financial burden for citizens, in a difficult economic context, with significant price increases for food, goods and services.
The government does nothing but increase people’s financial expenses, without taking into account the increasingly difficult living conditions, pointed out the UDMR deputy.
The UDMR initiative proposes to eliminate this tax and provide additional financial support to people on medical leave, especially families and mothers with limited financial resources.
