August 9, 2017
Transportation lobby protests government plan to raise fuel taxes; Romania's deficit soars as compared to last year
Ştefan Stoica, 09.08.2017, 14:01
TAXES — The National Union of Road Transporters in Romania believes that increasing excises on fuel would negatively affect the state budget, and call on the government to refrain from issuing such a measure, which was planned to be implemented starting September 1st. According to a planned executive order, diesel fuel excises would go up 24.9%, while unleaded gasoline excises would go up 22.8%. Transporters point out that about 70% of vehicles could fill up abroad, gravely affecting domestic revenue.
DEFICIT — Romania registered a trade deficit worth 5.8 billion Euro in the first 6 months of this year, up 30% compared to 2016, according to the National Institute of Statistics. Exports amounted to 30.9 billion Euro, up 9.6% from last year, while imports amounted to 36.7 billion, 12.4% more than the same period in 2016. In June alone, the deficit was 1.4 billion.
WEATHER — In Romania, the weather will once again turn very hot over the entire country in the west and south, with a very high heat index. Thunderstorms are announced in mountain areas. A code yellow alert in nine western counties has been issued today. Maximum temperatures are between 28 and 38 degrees Celsius, with a noon reading in Bucharest of 28 degrees. For Thursday, a code orange alert has been issued for high heat for 6 counties, and a code yellow alert has been issued for 13. Over the next two weeks, the weather is expected to be variable, with maximums over an average of 34 degrees, with a high probability of rain.
TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number two in the world, plays today against Slovakian player Magdalena Rybarikova (33rd seeded), in the second round of the WTA tournament in Toronto, Canada, with prize money worth 2.4 million dollars. The Rogers Cup has been held since 1980 in Toronto and Montreal alternatively. In 2015, Halep went to the finals, and in 2016 she won the trophy. Also today, in the second round of the womens doubles, Monica Niculescu and Czech player Barbora Krejcikova will meet the couple Lucie Safarova/ Barbora Strycova. In the ATP tournament in Montreal, the Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau- Jean-Julien Rojer qualified to the eighth finals by defeating the Mexican-American pair Santiago Gonzalez- Donald Young 7-6, 7-5.
ATTACK — A car drove into a group of soldiers in a suburb of Paris, injuring six of them, with three left in critical condition. Local mayor Patrick Balkany said there was no doubt this was a deliberate act. An ample police search was launched for finding the car and driver. France is still under a state of emergency, declared in November 2015, after Jihadists launched attacks that left 239 people dead, apparently targeting security forces.
