The PNL parliamentary group will submit an amendment to cancel the 10% tax on health leave, liberal senator Nikolayeta Pauliuk announced on Monday. The amendment applies not only to cancer patients, but also to a number of categories, such as leave in connection with pregnancy and childbirth and maternal risk for caring for a sick child, she specified.

“We cannot agree that when a cancer patient is sick, goes for treatment, then the medical leave that the state gives to support him to go on and achieve victory with this diagnosis is taxed,” he added.

The 10% tax on sick leave was introduced in December 2023 by an emergency decree. PNL Finance Minister Marcel Bolosh defended the measure, falsely claiming that it did not apply to cancer patients or in the case of maternity leave.

“We found ourselves in a situation where on sick leave you have a much higher salary than at work, because until January 1 we had sick leave exempted from paying CASS. Medical leave expenses reached a record 6.3 billion lei. We are not talking about those who have chronic diseases, occupational diseases, those who receive maternity benefits. I will give you an example. Reorganization of activities in a state institution often led to 2-3 months of sick leave. This is not a normal situation. We cannot sit helplessly and watch these costs grow.” Last year, 4.3 million medical certificates were approved, the cost of which exceeded 6 billion lei,” Bolosh told Digi24.ro in January.