Romanian Govt Cuts Income Threshold For Heating Bill Subsidy

Heating bills for the winter period will be 90% subsidized by the state for families whose income does not exceed RON155 per family member, and up to 40% for people with incomes ranging from RON355 to RON425, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Wednesday.

The government assigned EUR173 million to subsidize heating bills of people with low incomes during winter, which starts on November 1 and ends on March 31, according to an emergency ordinance approved Wednesday by the government.

The decision to cut the income threshold was justified by the impossibility to sustain all social protection forms from the budget, given the financial crisis, which triggered the restriction in the number of beneficiaries.

Thus, the government said it needs to cut budget expenses to fit into the 2009 approved budget and next years’ projected budgets.