12 October 2021 – The number of stadiums, pools and sports halls built in Moldova has fallen dramatically. If in 1996 they numbered about 4000 units, by 2019 the number of sports buildings has dropped to about 2800.

These figures are contained in the study carried out by the Moldovan Football Federation and the Business Consulting Institute and made public at the meeting of the Working Group No. 6 “Labour Market Development” within the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, chaired by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova.

According to the research, in order to attract investment in Moldovan sports, it is necessary to improve the mechanisms for supporting sports, including through a tax policy that encourages investment. Among the fiscal instruments identified as a result of the research is the introduction of tax facilities in the activity, which would involve, among other things, tax deductions for investments made by legal entities in the purchase of sports season tickets for their employees.

Another tax facility would be income support, which would involve, among other things, the disbursement of a % of corporate tax to officially accredited sports federations or associations; or exemption from reinvested income tax for joint stock companies or limited liability companies in the form of a professional sports club.

It is also proposed to examine the possibility of introducing tax incentives in return for investment, which would involve deducting the amount invested in the development of public or private sports infrastructure from the amount of taxable income or deducting the amount invested from the income tax paid annually.

Attending the debate, Marian Stan Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education and Research welcomed the study, which shows how bad things are in the field of sports infrastructure in the country. “We are in free fall. We as a ministry are keeping sports federations viable with small financial injections, which is insufficient and does not fall within the ministry’s remit. It’s time to turn the business face to sport. We will have a lot of work to do with the government on taxation, but we need to meet again to discuss these issues in detail,” said Stan.

The research also showed that if this investment alternative for economic agents existed in Moldova, at least about 58 million lei would be invested annually in Moldovan sport. The authors of the study also say that 50% of the 72 companies surveyed would be willing to invest in sports infrastructure if there was a possibility of tax deduction for the investments made.

At the same meeting, CCI President Sergiu Harea mentioned the results of a study conducted by the Moldovan Football Federation and the Business Consulting Institute on the status of performance sportsmen. Thus, the Moldovan legislation establishes that the qualification of performance athlete can be obtained only by graduates of the University of Sport and Physical Education, not by performance athletes who did not attend the University. Moreover, these athletes, not having a qualification – in other words a profession – cannot accumulate work  experience according to the profession and will not receive a pension for the years they have dedicated to sport. Thus, the CCI proposes to revise the regulatory framework in this respect, which will lead to an increase in the number of people wishing to participate in competitive sport in Moldova.

The Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, funded by the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund.