Vice Premier Marko Bela: Government's alternatives - to raise taxes or to cut expenses

To raise taxes or to drop budget expenditures are the alternatives the Government has in view for keeping the budget's balance, Vice Prime Minister Marko Bela said in Sf. Gheorghe (north-west of Bucharest), shortly after he had met President Traian Basescu at the Cotroceni Palace (the presidential hqrs.).

'One thing is for sure, we'll have to take tough and painful measures, otherwise we cannot keep the budget balance. Which is the solution, we are to decide soon. Today, at Cotroceni, we have only been drawing the variants, the alternatives. (...) None of the measures is convenient for us, but we have to assume them, because they will be in the society's and the future's best interests,' said Marko Bela.

He also stressed that no likely governmental reshuffle was discussed, at Cotroceni.

'It is not the case, at the moment. It is not a reshuffle what we have to do, now, we need a stable government to face the situation successfully,' pointed out the Romanian vice prime minister, who believes that the question of a reshuffle could be possibly raised in autumn, after a review.

AGERPRES