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[Feb 2] Belu,
under official investigation regarding the 30% "gift
tax"
Reports from Bucharest said that tomorrow Octavian Belu will
face some official charges regarding his 30% "gift tax"
imposed on girls revenues from abroad paid contests.The Romanian
law punish those who, despite their official position and
salary received for their job, receive any other "gifts"(money
or goods); if guilty, the sentences may be from six months
to five years.Because of his career devoted to Romanian gymnastics
and results, Belu may face a "friendly" treatment
during investigations-and almost nobody in Romania will blame
officials for this "indulgence".
Asking the girls to pay 30% in ca$h, directly to Belu, seems
being as a (stupid) management mistake, negligence or simply
lack of good info, from RGF (this is a practice still used
in other Romanian sports, too; watch out, the new Gov. doesn't
joke about taxes any more, like the previous did with their
"favourites'-from political friends to athletes, including
the $$$ocer players).
This "gift tax"could be legally and easily replaced
by a ca$h management of an RGF affiliate Foundation or nonprofit
Association (from where the benefits are distributed legally,
to girls and coaches). Or using for the B&B payments,
something similar to "Rent a Star Company"-a (more)
common method in West, where athletes or their coaches have
"rented" their services to an abroad (and less taxable...)
company, who collect revenues and which pays them for their
services.
At least Belu have proved (facing the judge, but still) he
is a honorable man and he does not lye. The "gift tax"
have had a long record, it just decreased from...95% during
communism to 30% after the communism have (almost)n failed
in Romania. Before that, girls were asked (reports of former
gymnasts after 1990) to give all the money to RGF at their
return from abroad, receiving some useless national, non convertible
currency, like 5% from what they get abroad (if they were
lucky).
The male gymnastics team have other practices (the athletes
being mature, 20...32 years) regarding the "gift tax"meaning
there is no such tax; at women's gymnastics, facing the children
and having same President of RGF since those times when little
girls get nothing, the 70% they get now seems like an improvement.
Not any more, since last November the communism is really
falling down (at least...) in Romania.This time, for good.
It seems that Belu have his worst days, this
time not being his (only, at least) fault; having trusted
only those (useless) kiss-in-the-ass persons around him, he
didn't care much about such "details"like the money
he (and others, as far as we know)
have asked girls to pay. It was somehow justifiable during
those long years with a $hit payment from RGF, not any more
after the $2000 salary (in a country where most coaches get
$200, if they are older-younger one get less).
Romanian Gymnastics News Archive.
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