Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos Barna said the VAT hike was inevitable, but progressive taxation could be a future option.

Tanczos Barna, Romania's deputy prime minister, said the VAT increase was a necessary measure, but could have been avoided by a tax alternative such as progressive taxation. Although he believes Romania is not ready for such a change, he suggests that progressive taxation could become possible in the long term. Barna stressed the importance of temporary measures, such as wage and pension freezes, to stabilize the economy, but also stressed the need to protect the vulnerable from rising costs.