There are other factors regarding the recent assurances of the Romanian Government which also give concern. One action that should be quite fresh in the memory of each of us here in the Congress is the imposition by the Romanian Government last year of the socalled education tax. This was a thinly disguised emigration tax imposed on prospective emigrants as the latest in a systematic campaign by the Government to harass and intimidate prospective emigrants. The tax amounted to a ransom. for the many thousands it amounted to was far beyond the means of most Romanians. and. importantly. it was decreed that it was only to be paid in convertible. that is. Western currencyand Romanians are prohibited by law from possessing convertible currency. My colleagues can draw their own conclusions on what effect the education tax had on any Romanians hopes for emigration. The action of the Romanian Government in imposing this tax last year. only a few months after MFN had again been assured by the Congress. was viewed by a number of us here as particularly provocative in light of the fact that only several weeks prior to the imposition of the tax. the Romanian Government had assured our Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs that rumors about imposition of an emigration tax were entirely unfounded. The Romanian Government has recently given our President assurances that this tax will no longer be imposed as a precondition to emigration. This may be so. however. there is no indication that the decree issued last November imposing this tax has been abrogated or will soon be abrogated. It remains on the books. Further. there is no indication that there is to be any change in the requirement set forth in the same decree that persons whose emigration application has been approved must pay in convertable (Western) currency all medical expenses. or that there is any change in the requirement that the real property of such persons pass into State ownership. These provisions remain on the books. In addition. there is no Indication whatsoever that the very general assurances that it will not create any economic or procedural barriers to emigration are backed up by any concrete action on the part of the Romanian Government. Mr. Speaker. these assurances are simply not sufficient to
Keywords matched
emigration emigrants