Meal tickets are one of the most popular benefits for employees. However, international practice shows that they are an additional source of income, especially for employees with minimum wage. On the other hand, there is a risk of tax evasion and an electoral initiative, according to the conclusions made in the public debate on the draft law on meal tickets.
Expert in economics, Dorin Vaculovschi notes that meal tickets contribute to increased expenses for the maintenance of employees in organizations and, respectively, to increase the total expenses incurred by the organization. At the same time, the lack of an overview on the new mechanism of functioning of the social policy based on meal tickets prevent the prospect of an effective implementation of the law, and the economic situation in Moldova only oppresses the implementation of the system based on vouchers (the system is more suitable for industrialized countries).
Present at the discussion, Adrian Candu, Chairman of Parliament and one of the authors of the project, said he sees meal tickets as a social tool and a net income, not taxed from employees. It is a cost to the employer, but deductible. "The price for a ticket was set at 45 lei and took into account the minimum consumption and the inflation rate. In addition to the social part we assume that there will be the economic impact on sales".
"If things seem to be simple in Moldova, meal tickets will complicate them. The initiative should not be seen as a social, but also economic and fiscal one. Tickets appeared in countries with union traditions and later were taken over by companies dealing with tax optimization and promoted in other countries including Moldova. Syncing issue of tickets we can notice that it was promoted in pre-election years (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2016). Thus, a political tool is trying to be wrapped and presented in a good form to society. It is also very difficult to realize the monetary and inflation effects. Given that Moldova has the problem of the Leu in the uncontrolled area, the monetary policy is with bad transmission signals and then a new surrogate included into the economic cycle will only complicate the situation. Moreover, the introduction of tickets cancels further increase of salaries”, said Veaceslav Negruta, Transparency International expert.
"We intend to introduce a social protection instrument. We are sure we can find formulas required to achieve the maximum benefit for employees. We opt for transparent discussions on the project with the involvement of experts and trade unions. We must keep in mind that the state is the largest employer", believes Valentina Buliga.
"Any social project promoted in society should take account primarily socio-economic situation in the country. If you analyze the data, in recent years the number of employees was reduced substantially on a background of the growing number of pensioners and recipients of social benefits. The number of employees is not so great, and the presence of many in the informal sectors hinders the overall situation because the number of contributors to the social pension fund is declining annually. Moreover, a large number of young potential employees who are not in school or nor employed, about 18% is maintained. Respectively, meal tickets are more necessary for pensioners and vulnerable groups living in poverty, for whom a hot lunch is a luxury" said an expert in social policy from IDIS Viitorul, Viorica Antonov.
The public debate was organized within the project on monitoring political and social processes, and formulating political synthesis, implemented by IDIS "Viitorul", in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation.
For more details, please contact the Public Relations Coordinator of IDIS "Viitorul", Victor Ursu - 069 017 396 or e-mail ursu.victoor@gmail.com
In 2016 the number of deaths on pedestrian crossings in Chisinau went up by a quarter or 25% compared to 2012, reaching nearly 60 people, while the number of injured was around 1400 people. Or, statistics of the Traffic Police show that over 50% of road accidents in the capital are actually involving pedestrians and cyclists. This is the opinion of the IDIS expert, Iurie Gotisan expressed in the program "15 minutes of economic realism".
Data analysis suggests that a higher proportion of accidents occur on certain pedestrian crossings within the evening hours, 18:00-06:00. Over 60% of these take place in Chisinau. Compared to the number of people killed in many cities around the world due to such accidents, Chisinau has, unfortunately, primacy, registering 8.5 persons reported per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to Stockholm - 0.7 persons Berlin - 1.5 persons or Bucharest - 6.2 persons.
"Moldova would place among the firsts in Europe and Central Asia on the cost of road accidents, with spending estimated at slightly more than $ 1 billion according to a thematic report of the World Bank. Thus, the estimated cost of a death in Moldova is something more than $ 500,000, almost 2 times less than in Romania and far less than in this situation observed in Slovenia or the Czech Republic. This fact proves that it is possible to significantly reduce the number of people injured/deceased while improving the pedestrian experience. Or, and this data tell us that the life of Moldovan costs less compared to a European life. Currently, the only way to fight of the Chisinau Town Hall is the location of speed limiters. Of course, these are not always the most effective", explained Gotisan.
To avoid traffic accidents the expert recommends stringent measures to intensify control over the observance of traffic rules, improving infrastructure for pedestrians and organizing special operations and information campaigns. "Arrangements for traffic calming are necessary and improved pedestrian crossings - signs endorsement crossings should be located at least 50 m ahead of them. Also, specific electronic devices to stop the vehicle, it may be installed, like in the UK".
"The analysis should compare utility / cost them in other ways such as 1. lighting pedestrian crossings because many accidents occur because of this, namely, the reduced visibility for both pedestrians and drivers; 2. Location of pedestrian refuges; protecting the trolley and bus stations, 3. Setting the speed limit of 30km / h in vast areas of the town. All these measures would estimate at about 20 million lei. We can only conclude that depending on the risk, we need a mix of intervention between the items identified", concluded Iurie Gotisan.
The show is performed by IDIS “Viitorul” in partnership with Radio Free Europe.
Migranții moldoveni care muncesc în Federația Rusă au un aport esențial în economia țării după volumul remitențelor pe care le trimit acasă, însă ei sunt folosiți în aspectele politice sau geopolitice de către autoritățile Federației Ruse și Republicii Moldova. Este concluzia, expertului IDIS Viitorul, Ion Tăbârță formulată la emisiunea „15 minute de realism economic”.
„Președintele Republicii Moldova ar trebui să elimine aspectele politice din discuții în abordarea statutului cetățenilor moldoveni aflați la muncă în Federația Rusă. Este foarte greu de spus cum se va face acest lucru în condițiile în care avem un proiect politic care pe deplin folosește mecanismul de soft power (puterea blândă n.a.) promovat de Federația Rusă. Pe de altă parte, vedem că Moscova nu arată disponibilitatea să discute echilibrat fără a utiliza astfel de pârghii cu caracter geopolitic asupra statelor din spațiul CSI”, a explicat Ion Tăbârță.
Potrivit expertului un exemplu de soft power folosit de Federația Rusă în raport cu Republica Moldova a fost intenția de tergiversa semnarea de către Chișinău a Acordului de Asociere. Instrumentele folosite au fost presiunile economice și situația migranților moldoveni. Or, după unele presupuneri, actualul președinte al Republicii Moldova, Igor Dodon, ar fi consultat Moscova, în vara anului 2013, pentru ca Rusia să pună în aplicare mecanismele soft power contra Chișinăului, iar acest lucru i-a adus un plus de imagine în alegerile parlamentare din 2014, cât și la câștigarea prezidențialelor din anul 2016.
Conform datelor oficiale ale instituțiilor migraționiste ruse, în Federația Rusă se află 525 de mii, dar numărul exact al acestora nu se cunoaște, iar în ultimii ani volumul remiterilor s-a redus la substanțial ca urmare a deprecierii rublei rusești, dar și a expulzărilor în masă. Or, autoritățile RM au spus că sunt gata să ofere soluții pentru migranții expulzați din Rusia, dar nu s-au ținut de promisiuni. Locurile de muncă se împuținează, pe fundalul unei retorici agresive pro-Est.
Pentru alte detalii, vă rugăm să contactaţi responsabilul pe presă, Victor URSU la următoarea adresă: ursu.victoor@gmail.com sau la numărul de telefon 069017396.
In 2016 the number of deaths on pedestrian crossings in Chisinau went up by a quarter or 25% compared to 2012, reaching nearly 60 people, while the number of injured was around 1400 people. Or, statistics of the Traffic Police show that over 50% of road accidents in the capital are actually involving pedestrians and cyclists. This is the opinion of the IDIS expert, Iurie Gotisan expressed in the program "15 minutes of economic realism".
Data analysis suggests that a higher proportion of accidents occur on certain pedestrian crossings within the evening hours, 18:00-06:00. Over 60% of these take place in Chisinau. Compared to the number of people killed in many cities around the world due to such accidents, Chisinau has, unfortunately, primacy, registering 8.5 persons reported per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to Stockholm - 0.7 persons Berlin - 1.5 persons or Bucharest - 6.2 persons.
"Moldova would place among the firsts in Europe and Central Asia on the cost of road accidents, with spending estimated at slightly more than $ 1 billion according to a thematic report of the World Bank. Thus, the estimated cost of a death in Moldova is something more than $ 500,000, almost 2 times less than in Romania and far less than in this situation observed in Slovenia or the Czech Republic. This fact proves that it is possible to significantly reduce the number of people injured/deceased while improving the pedestrian experience. Or, and this data tell us that the life of Moldovan costs less compared to a European life. Currently, the only way to fight of the Chisinau Town Hall is the location of speed limiters. Of course, these are not always the most effective", explained Gotisan.
To avoid traffic accidents the expert recommends stringent measures to intensify control over the observance of traffic rules, improving infrastructure for pedestrians and organizing special operations and information campaigns. "Arrangements for traffic calming are necessary and improved pedestrian crossings - signs endorsement crossings should be located at least 50 m ahead of them. Also, specific electronic devices to stop the vehicle, it may be installed, like in the UK".
"The analysis should compare utility / cost them in other ways such as 1. lighting pedestrian crossings because many accidents occur because of this, namely, the reduced visibility for both pedestrians and drivers; 2. Location of pedestrian refuges; protecting the trolley and bus stations, 3. Setting the speed limit of 30km / h in vast areas of the town. All these measures would estimate at about 20 million lei. We can only conclude that depending on the risk, we need a mix of intervention between the items identified", concluded Iurie Gotisan.
The show is performed by IDIS “Viitorul” in partnership with Radio Free Europe.
Civil society and academia representatives are against liquidation of training programs through which secondary school teachers are prepared for. The reaction follows the inclusion in the agenda of the Government draft decision aimed at liquidation of all specialties from the Pedagogical University "Ion Creanga" and the State University of Tiraspol in Chisinau, State University of Balti, Comrat State University, State University of Cahul and one in Taraclia who train teachers for secondary schools and colleges.
"It is incorrect from the Ministry of Education to publish on its official page a version if the classification of professions for the general public and for the Government to prepare a new version of the document. Already 1,300 people have signed the petition for termination of questionable educational experiments, initiated by the Ministry of Education", explained Veaceslav Ionita, Associate Professor, IDIS “Viitorul” expert.
Alexandra Barbaneagră, Associate professor believes that "the new nomenclature comes with flagrant violations of the UNESCO international documents, national and Education Code".
"The position of the Ministry of Education shows a lack of dialogue between central government, academia and the civil society. If the government will follow this initiative, which is at odds with the position of the Rector's Council, with the position of civil society and academia, then this political decision will create a gap and lack of communication between the central authorities, the civil society and academia”, believes Liubomir Chiriac, University professor and Vice-director of IDIS “Viitorul”
Civil society and academia representatives demanded from decision makers, including the Prime Minister Pavel Filip to take a constructive position to support the priority area - Educational Sciences.
