Over 53,000 employees in Romania's local administration system will face layoffs according to an emergency ordinance adopted by the government on Wednesday, Romanian news agency Agerpres reads. The government also adopted an emergency ordinance setting a supplementary tax of up to 300% on people who own more than one house and an emergency ordinance doubling the tax on cars with engines higher than 2,000 cc, PM Emil Boc announced by the end of a government session on Wednesday.

He also delivered a report on the situation in flooded areas across the country and said assistance will be provided to the families of people who died in the floods affecting Romania for several days.

In the case of local administration redundancies, within 40 days since the decision is published in the official gazette mayors will have to submit to prefectures new personnel schemes and launch legal procedures to cut jobs which exceed the limits set by the government, according to Interior minister Vasile Blaga.

He said the number of jobs above the limits stands at 53,432.

According to the changes, the town hall of a village of less than 1,500 people will have a maximum of 19 employees, with the numers growing according to the population. In the case of a town with a population of 50,000, the town hall will have a maximum of 260 employees.

City halls of cities with up to 400,000 people will have a maximum of 1,600 employees.

New personnel limits are not applied to employees in the education, health and welfare sectors.

Meanwhile, higher taxes are applied to people who own other houses than that they live in. They will have to pay a solidarity tax spanning from 65% to 300% of the property tax. The Government also adopted a 100% increase of the tax on cars with engines of over 2,000 cc.