The Parliamentary Journalistic Dialogue

Parliamentary journalistic dialogue is traditionally opened by the Chairman of the Supreme Council Mikhail Burla. He thanked the mass media representatives for their participation in the final press conference and interest in the work of the legislature as a whole. The speaker reminded about the main activities of the parliament for the first half year. Lawmaking is priority. Interaction with the public is intensified recently. The citizens increasingly become initiators of meetings of deputies with voters. This is due to the deteriorating of socio-economic situation and the resulting decline in the living standards of Pridnestrovians. Connections of the legislatures with other states are important part of parliamentary everyday life. Pridnestrovian Deputies met with colleagues from Russia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Gagauzia in the course of the concluded session. Dialogue with representatives of Rada proved minimized because of the prevailing circumstances in the Ukraine. However contacts with the Moldavian parliament were renewed: Mikhail Burla met with the head of Moldavian parliament. According to the Chairman of the Supreme Council, the meeting was of informational nature. As for interaction with the public of the republic, then, according to Mikhail Burla, parliamentarians throughout the reporting period, actively participated in all kinds of forums, congresses, conferences, round tables, held in Pridnestrovie and abroad.

The fate of the anti-crisis legislations was the question that journalists could not but ask covering the legislative process. Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Budget and Finance Oleg Vasilaty, drawing attention to the excessive agiotage surrounding these documents, noted that none of the initiatives under consideration are not a panacea for the economy of the republic.

Oleg Vasilaty emphasized that the work in this direction has not been completed, and recalled the local anti-crisis measures proposed by the parliament in the form of separate legislative initiatives. Among them – initiative of Alexander Korshunov to abolish the so-called industrialists tax losses and received but not signed by the president of the law, to remove restrictions on import into the Republic of vehicles older than 10 years. The initiative regarding introduction of the notion "tourist-recreational free economic zones" into the legal environment, as well as the inclusion of FEZ IT-companies and call centers was supported by deputies. The adoption by the Supreme Council of the Concept of industrial policy PMR for the period 2015-2019 is also important.

Drawing international parallels, the head of the relevant committee referred to the situation in Greece, calling the Pridnestrovian crisis - systematic, as well as Greek. "Bubble of external financial assistance to the Greeks burst. We also have long provided support from the outside ", - said the deputy.

The next question of the economic block was the attitude of lawmakers to draft concept of budgetary and fiscal policy, which has recently entered to the Supreme Council (the regulations, by the way, requires making by the government in May). Oleg Vasilaty considers that the document cannot be called a concept, since it does not contain calculations, are not described in the new mechanisms and instruments for their launch. The main thing that government offers - tax reform, based on the collection of VAT, income taxes and property entities. According to legislators, following the doctor's principle of "do no harm" in legislative activity, to make hasty decisions on this issue is impossible.

Mikhail Burla focused on the fact that VAT in other countries, around which today are deployed particularly heated debate, was introduced gradually. Moreover, VAT is not charged in parallel with the import duty that nobody canceled in Pridnestrovie. Mikhail Burla told about additional costs associated with the introduction of the new tax system, which both entrepreneurs and the state will suffer: this software and retraining. The possibility that the additional costs that would entail the introduction of the VAT, increase the cost of production is of particular concern. That is, the reform will impact consumers’ wallets, which is today already extremely vulnerable.

In general, the parliamentarians agree that sooner or later, we have to change the tax system, but now it is the case when the "before" does not mean "better". According to deputies the issue needs careful consideration and analysis of the consequences.

Speaking of case that become the norm regarding introduction of legislations in regime of legislative emergency, involving the immediate consideration and adoption of decisions by deputies in the limited time, Vice-Speaker Sergei Cheban called this unjustified and urged to abandon the practice.

There is the lack of constructivism in matters related to the unified state exam. Reporters have asked the Chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Culture Vladimir Bodnar on the results of the work on improvement of legislation in this sphere. The parliamentarian, author of many initiatives related to the regulation of state certification of graduates and students, said that after many meetings, working group meetings, hearings, round-table discussions in plenary session was placed for consideration verified with relevant ministries version of the law-in-draft. But MOE returned discussion to its origins. Work in this direction will be continued within the framework of the next session.

The issue of amnesty initiated by the chairman of the Committee on Legislation Galina Antyufeeva drew attention of the press conference. The author recalled that this act of humanity, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the 25th anniversary of PMR, came into force on 22 June this year. The amnesty applies to combatants for the Protection of Pridnestrovie, the holders of state awards, the parents of minor children, the disabled, the elderly and people suffering from serious illnesses. General rules do not apply to those who committed serious and heinous crimes. In order to protect the interests of the injured party the regulations spelled out the obligation to compensate the damage caused by potential under amnesty.

Another issue addressed by the Chairman of the Committee on legislation related to the legal maintenance of a single day of voting scheduled for autumn this year. Galina Antyufeeva recalled the adoption of a number of legislations that improve the existing rules to the realities of today. Recent developments have been supported by the deputies on Wednesday.

Concluding the hour conversation, legislators and representatives of the national mass media, members of the Presidium of the Supreme Council once again thanked journalists for their cooperation and wished "only the good news".