Prime Minister Marcel Cholaku on Tuesday praised the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars made in the Philip Morris tobacco factory in Otopeni, the taxes paid by the tobacco producer and the absence of tax evasion in the industry, but on the other hand he also warned of danger of tobacco addiction.

• “At present, almost 600 million dollars have already been invested, in the future it is planned to invest about 130 million dollars. These are impressive figures that make you a very important contributor to the state budget.
• As the Minister of Finance said at the meeting, you paid taxes on approximately 500 million euros. This is an impressive figure. Moreover, the fact that 90% of your production is exported, I, as the prime minister, can only be happy, because we are equalizing the trade balance of Romania.” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday a visit to the Philip Morris factory in Otopeni on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the presence of the American tobacco manufacturer in Romania.

Cholaku: Any kind of addiction, both in youth and in adults, should be avoided and fought against

In addition to the benefits for the local economy, the Prime Minister warned about the dangers of tobacco addiction.

• “But in addition to business, all participants must understand that we bear a huge responsibility, which is to be clearly aware that any kind of addiction, both among young people and adults, must be avoided and fought against.
• As a parent, I believe that the use of nicotine and tobacco in any form does not bring any benefit to either individual or collective health. That is why, just a few weeks ago, the Government adopted a resolution according to which heated tobacco products are subject to health warnings.
• My point, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it, is that the world needs to be informed. The world must know the truth, know the risk and, above all, choose,” said Cholaku.

After these warnings, the Prime Minister again appreciated the lack of evasion in this industry and said that he would support any investment by the tobacco producer.

• “I can’t help but tell you that there is zero tax evasion in your industry. This is in Romania, where we have one of the highest levels of evasion in the EU. In other words, I believe that it is our duty as the Government, mine, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Economy, to invest as much as possible in industries that have a zero level of evasion.
• I will continue to encourage any investment in this location and beyond. I think we are the second exporter of this product after Poland, somewhere on par with Germany.” also clarified the prime minister.

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