Politicians and businessmen alike react to President Basescu's declarations earlier today where he announced that the VAT and the flat tax will remain unchanged while salaries, unemployment aid and pensions will drop by 15% and 25%.

Here are the most important declarations

• Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Victor Ponta declared that his party is ready to express its solidarity but that it will not be part of the social genocide announced by the President

• I want to underline that the government is run by the President, and not by the Prime Minister

• The government presented wrong data, just like it happened in Greece

• We can expect wrong data and desperate measures

• Former Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister, Calin Popescu Tariceanu declared that the measures announced are incorrect and unjust.

• He said that the Boc government had one and a half year to restart the economy

• Ernst&Young tax partner Alexander Milcev considers that the measures are positive and meant to inspire trust for the population and the business environment alike

• He added that the government understood it had to avoid simple measures, like increasing taxes

• Businessmen will have more certainty for tomorrow because business plans will not have to be revised.

• Union leader Ovidiu Nicolescu declared for HotNes.ro that a cut in budgetary spending is the only way to cut the budgetary deficit.
  
• The measures are painful and affect millions of people but these are necessary to have an economic increase in the following period.

• Another Union leader, Dumitru Costin declared that a cut in salaries and pensions is better than an increase in taxes.
• There are too many chiefs who are useless, Costin said. He declared that regarding the pensions fund, holiday ticket spending should be reduced to save up some money.
  
• However, he believes that protests will not take long to be organized following Basescu's declarations.