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20. 04. 12. - 13:00

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20. 04. 12. - 13:00

Pensioners won't get back the 5.5 tax ruled unconstitutional

Michael Leidig

Thousands of pensioners were expecting to get back the money from the 5.5 percent health tax instituted by the former cabinet, following the ruling of the Constitutional Court on Tuesday. The Court ruled the tax on pensions less than 750 RON (some 170 Euros) is unconstitutional.

The next day, thousands of pensioners nationwide filed reimbursement requests with the local Pensions' Houses. Desperate to get their money back, senior citizens queued for hours outside the pensions' offices, some of them fainting while waiting their turn. An elder woman needed urgent medical care today (Fri) in Bucharest outside the Pensions House office.

The hopes of a third of the pensioners in Romania with pensions less 170 Euros had been ruined today (Fri) by the Labour Minister. Speaking from the government office, Claudia Boghicevici  said the tax will not be given back despite the fact that it is anti-constitutional, claiming the Court's ruling is not to be applied retroactively.

"There is no legal ground to give back the tax on health care retroactively. The decision of the Court will be implemented from now on", she said.

The contribution to the National Health Insurance House (health care tax) on small pensions was decided by former cabinet in August 2010, as part of the austerity measures decided together with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under a 19 billion Euros stand-by-agreement.

The Pensioners and the opposition contested the legality of the tax.
The Cabinet led by former premier Emil Boc, a constitutional law professor, gathered a record number of laws turned down by the Constitutional Court.

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