Moldova to allow citizens to donate 2% of income tax to schools
Citizens of the Republic of Moldova will be able to donate 2% of their annual income tax to schools of their choice, according to a draft law presented by a group of lawmakers. The list of eligible schools will be determined annually by the State Service Agency.
The proposed amendments would allow citizens to redirect 2% of their income tax not only to non-governmental organisations, but also to schools. This would allow individuals to contribute to the modernization of schools without the involvement of parent associations, which would be dissolved under the bill.
The initiative also provides that individuals and legal entities will be able to make donations to schools in the amount of up to 10% of the average salary in the economy.
The purpose of the bill is to reduce the phenomenon of informal payments in schools, said Larisa Novac, one of the authors of the bill.
"The main objective of the project is to exclude abusive norms and reduce informal payments in schools. We propose several solutions that would discourage the collection of informal payments in general and vocational schools," Novac said.
However, Ala Revenco, director of the Association of Solidarity Parents, said that the proposed amendments would only partially solve the problems related to illegal money collection in schools.
"This covers part of the problems with informal taxes. There remains the other part that is not collected through associations, but directly. It is a good thing, but we still have a lot of work to do," Revenco said.
Ilie Chirtoacă, president of the Legal Resources Center, said that by including schools in the list of beneficiaries of the 2% mechanism, the original purpose of the law is being changed. As a result, no institution will benefit, Chirtoacă believes:
"Adding subjects such as schools will actually make it so that practically no one benefits from this mechanism. The 2% are a mechanism by which the state supports itself. I find it something unimaginable."
If adopted by parliament, the new amendments will come into force on January 1, 2024, and parent associations would be dissolved within 9 months of that date.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
