Business Forum • 14 March, 2024 at 1:08 PM
Total local tax payments made with Visa cards issued in Romania, at the counters of public institutions and online, increased by 26% in 2023, backed by the improvement of the acceptance infrastructure, the increase in the popularity of digital payments and a better understanding of their advantages, including safety, convenience and speed.
A slight increase compared to the previous year was also recorded in terms of the average value of tax payments with Visa cards (both online and at POS), which exceeded the threshold of RON 300 in 2023. Two out of three tax payments with Visa cards last year were made online, the highest value of payments also being made on the internet, through the www.ghiseul.ro platform.
"For 13 years, Visa has maintained its commitment to facilitate the tax payments by card, thus simplifying the lives of the Romanians. The expectations for payment experiences as simple and convenient as possible that enables the efficient management of finances have increased a lot and have also extended to the relations with the public institutions. In this circumstance, the Ghiseul.ro platform offered the advantage of paying taxes online in just a few seconds, regardless of where you are, representing an extremely important step in Romania's digitization process, which Visa supported from the very beginning. We want to continue and to develop the partnership with the authorities in this sector in order to achieve a common goal, that of having a society informed about the available payment options", said Elena Ungureanu, Visa Country Manager in Romania.
Governments across Europe are actively looking at the role digital payments can play – particularly in areas like disbursements, data, tourism, urban mobility and public administration. They have been actively working with the payment sector to accelerate this – by changing the way they manage their own flows, and by enabling and encouraging the uptake of digital payments among consumers and businesses alike. Visa is committed to building strong partnerships across the ecosystem to deliver secure, innovative and inclusive digital payments so we can help foster economies that uplift everyone, everywhere.
Visa's activity goes beyond the consumer and business payments sector, offering solutions and an advanced technology to also improve payment options in the public sector. In Romania as well, Visa has continuously invested in new platforms and networks to develop the government payments infrastructure, so as to meet citizens' need for digitized and modern services.
Local taxes can be paid by card online at www.ghiseul.ro and on the platforms provided by some local municipalities, as well as at the POS terminals installed at their offices. Starting from January 1, 2023, all public institutions that collect taxes, fees or fines must also accept card payments, according to the so-called cash-back law.
As of March 1, 2024, Ghiseul.ro had 2.1 million active users, and over 1,400 institutions enrolled on the platform. Since the beginning of this year alone, approximately 1.3 million card transactions have been carried out on www.ghiseul.ro.
Taxpayers can also benefit this year from an up to 10% discount of their fiscal obligations if they pay their local taxes before March 31, according to the Fiscal Code's provisions.