The PSD, through its spokesperson Rada Oprea, is responding ironically to the PNL MEP Rares Bohdan, who asked the PSD Finance Minister Adrian Chichiu to explain why he found himself in a situation where OMV does not pay the solidarity tax. Oprea accuses liberals of “perpetuating misinformation and lies just to mask the impotence of their colleagues, or perhaps to draw attention to them if there is a change.”

• “Rares Bohdan received a NO from Austrian Chancellor Nehammer, like a slap in the face, but without a velvet glove.
• Like any “experienced” politician, he quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away the traces of failure, and quickly rode the wave of revolt that Romanians felt after hearing the injustice Austria had committed against Romania.
• The injustice of the NU, expressed by the Austrian government regarding the vote for the entry of Romanians into the Schengen zone, was felt as an insult to each of us.
• Rares Bohdan used the “fire at them” tactic and announced a boycott so that Romanians would forget about the failure of the right and him personally as the banner of the liberal MEPs. Fumigation did not help, Romanians do not forget and understand everyone’s responsibilities very well,” PSD spokesman wrote on Facebook.

He also accuses Rares Bohdan of “throwing a new firecracker because the right also missed the taxation of companies that made extraordinary profits at our expense” and that “instead of asking the Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, why he could not come to an agreement with the European Regulation, which sets the limits for which the OMV company pays or does not pay the solidarity tax, accuses the Ministry of Public Finance.

• “I am sure that Mr. Raresh Bohdan is not ignorant and understands very well what the European regulation is and how it is applied. The fact is that the possibility of intervention by any member state is extremely small.
• In this case, regarding the application of Regulation 1854/2022, the European Commission clearly responds that there is no error and that the percentage of 75% is the minimum possible, and the five European activities are correctly taken to the CAEN codes.
• So, Raresh Bohdan continues disinformation and lies only to mask the powerlessness of his colleagues, or perhaps to draw attention to them if there is a change,” added Oprea.

MEP Rares Bohdan asked Adrian Cachiu, the finance minister, to explain why he found himself in a situation where OMV does not pay the solidarity tax, arguing that according to his analysis, the five European states that transposed the provision chose not to implement and CAEN codes in legislation, as Romania has done.

The first vice-president of the PNL claims that the argument about the mandatory mention of CAEN codes during transposition is “false”. This issue will also be discussed at the Coalition.

At the end of last year, the government passed GEO (186/2022), according to which the additional profit of producers of crude oil, gas and oil refineries will be taxed at a rate of 60%. The tax base is an amount that is more than 20% higher than the average profit for the last four years.

At the beginning of the year, OMV Petrom announced that it would not pay the solidarity tax introduced by the Government at the end of last year, with less than 75% of turnover from the specified sectors: crude oil production, natural gas production, oil extraction and production of refined products.

The European Commission has responded to the Romanian government, which asked for clarification after the Austrian company announced that it will not pay solidarity tax this year because it does not fall under the provisions of the regulation, having less than 75% of its turnover from the defined sectors: oil production, natural gas production, oil production and production of oil refining products.

The response of the European Commission

PSD spokesman Radu Oprea said on Tuesday on Digi FM that the answer received from the European Commission shows that the threshold of 75% of turnover in the taxable sectors (crude oil production, natural gas production, oil production and production of products obtained from oil refining) cannot be reduced.

“The answer came from the European Commission, there are three points in the answer. The first refers to 75%, to this percentage of turnover, where the commission responds that by regulation this is the minimum that can be applied. So Romania applied the provision correctly, you cannot reduce it. The Commission’s second reply states that the five CAEN codes from the European regulation are correctly applied in the emergency regulation, and there is another question that says whether the products obtained as a result of processing, diesel fuel, gasoline, if they are included in these codes Here, the European Commission responds that they need more details to better understand the business model,” Radu Oprea was quoted as saying by Digi 24.