What Do I Pay to the State?

As Benjamin Franklin used to say, paying taxes is a certainty, just like death. Just as certain is the role that the taxes each of us pays play in the development of a democratic society. These payments are used to build schools, roads and bridges, to pay teachers and doctors, to support culture and much more. Your contributions, as a taxpayer, to the National Public Budget in 2013,  came from two main sources: from salary income and from the purchases you made. From salary income, social contributions amount to 21% of the NPB, income tax accounts for 6% of the NPB and health insurance contributions for 5%. The next time you go shopping, remember that, as a rule, 16.67% of the amount paid is VAT, which at national level represents 33% of the NPB, and when you buy a pack of cigarettes, do not forget that the state “smokes” 5.7 cigarettes of it, in excise duties alone.. See below what taxes you pay when buying beer, spirits and petrol. Often, however, the corruption and incompetence of the officials who manage this money lead to losses of tens of millions of lei that drain out of the state budget, and the most brazen officials end up spending public money on their own cars, houses and luxury holidays. Nevertheless, this sad aspect does not change the fundamental truth of a civilised society – tax must be paid by every individual citizen, because only together can we build a better life in a better country. Download resources