Moldovan PM unveils cabinet's vision for strengthening local public authorities
13:35 | 21.06.2019 Category: Political
Chisinau, 21 June /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Maia Sandu today presented priorities for the strengthening of the local public authorities. The PM gave assurances that the new cabinet would treat all local authorities with respect, no matter their political affiliation.
„I imagine how difficult is to be mayor, civil servant in the local public administration of Moldova. The local authorities will choose what party they want to be member of and the money will be earmarked based on the priorities set and according to the criterion cost – benefit. We will start the process of real de-centralization; we will do our utmost for the size of the local budgets to increase, we will open the way for foreign financings, we will promote direct projects, ways and mechanisms, in order to reduce the local public administration’s dependence on the central power,” Maia Sandu said at a meeting with representatives of local public authorities today.
The prime minister noted that, among the priorities of the new government, there were the real and effective involvement of the local public authorities in the decision-taking process, de-politicizing of the system of inter-budgetary transfers, revision of the present system of distribution of public money, strengthening the incomes of the local budgets through ensuring the massive registration and assessment of real estate from all local communities of Moldova. At the same time, Sandu opted for revising the status of enterprises’ income tax, so that it fully remains at the local public authorities (APL) of the first level, as well as the introduction of a mechanism of collection/transfer of private persons’ income tax at the place of residence. The PM also said that another priority was to give APL exclusive right to establish the rate of local taxes, as well as to provide facilities/exemptions. The new cabinet is also set to revise the present system of control through cutting the number of control bodies.
The head of the Congress of Local Public Authorities (CALM), Tatiana Badan, suggested considering possibility to create a Ministry of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Public Administration. At the same time, Badan opted for CALM to get the status of government member, having right to legislative initiative.
At the event, MP Sergiu Litvinenco said that a legislative initiative had been prepared, according to which the date of local elections would clearly be established by law, without it depending on any state body. The initiative’s authors suggest that the legislation stipulates that the local elections are organized once in four years, on a certain day, for instance, on the third Sunday of October.