According to government sources, the government is considering converting food vouchers into cash.

“So the government says that the value of the vouchers is 35 lei, and you can allow these vouchers to be issued in money, but at that value. Although it has some exceptions,” they said.

The event is included in the package of fiscal measures.

From August 1, the maximum value of meal vouchers increased to 35 lei and will increase to 40 lei from January 1, 2024.

In a statement sent on Thursday, the HoReCa industry is asking the government to maintain the system of meal vouchers for limited cards and to consider the importance of using these amounts to encourage workers to eat at lunchtime, as such social policies have a particular impact on health. and their productivity at work, which affects the productivity of employers.

“Meal vouchers have appeared in Romania since 1998 and have brought great benefits to employees who can more easily include lunch in their behavior. From 2020, meal vouchers are provided exclusively by cards, which contributes to the digitalization of restaurants and income taxation. The cards issued in the social programs of the Government, under which hot meals were provided for vulnerable categories of the population, were a way of teaching the population to pay with a card,” HORA notes.

According to the quoted source, meal vouchers should remain issued on cards, the use of which should remain under the control of the law to ensure the use of lunch for workers. This system works worldwide in more than 45 countries and in Romania since 1999, and the impact on the economy of the states that implement it is recognized by international organizations such as the International Labor Organization and the OECD.

• “Giving money as unlimited food can have negative consequences, because these sums will go into the underground economy, workers will not eat leeks with them, and in the end we will all lose, both the state and the workers. and HoReCa”.

“Currently, according to the latest NBR report, 75% of the sums on the cards are withdrawn at ATMs, so the state’s efforts to stimulate the digitalization of payments must be firm and consistent. Providing money as an alternative to vouchers ensures that it is used for purposes other than eating leeks. Studies show that if workers receive cash benefits, they don’t use it to buy food,” the quoted report said.

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