Frustration with Romania’s notoriously slow and outdated online government services has driven one citizen to take matters into his own hands. Daniel Tamaș, a software developer, recently launched demoanaf.ro, a platform that replicates core functions of the Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală (ANAF – the National Agency for Fiscal Administration) website, but with dramatically improved speed and usability. The project, completed in just two hours, is already demonstrating performance significantly exceeding that of the official government site.
Tamaș’s motivation stemmed from repeated difficulties navigating the ANAF website, which he describes as cumbersome, slow to load, and poorly optimized for mobile devices. “It’s not because it’s my job – but because I’m tired of hearing explanations of why things can’t be done, when in fact they can,” Tamaș explained in a Facebook post that quickly went viral. “Or that they can be done, but require 492 committees and a lack of accountability. Anaf.ro takes 10-15 seconds to load, has URLs from 2003, doesn’t function on mobile, and crashes right when you need to submit a declaration. Demoanaf.ro takes the exact same public data (ANAF and BNR APIs) and serves it through a modern, fast, and accessible interface… all in under 2 seconds.”
The demoanaf.ro platform currently allows users to validate tax identification numbers (CIF), view current exchange rates from the Banca Națională a României (BNR – National Bank of Romania), and manage electronic invoices. Tamaș emphasizes that the project isn’t intended as a criticism of ANAF staff, but rather as a demonstration of what’s possible with readily available technology and a relatively small investment. He argues that the primary obstacle to modernizing Romania’s digital infrastructure isn’t a lack of technical expertise or financial resources, but a lack of political will.
“It’s not a criticism. It’s an open invitation: here’s what it could look like. The technology exists. The cost is ridiculously low. The only thing missing is the will,” Tamaș stated.
A Broader Context of Digitalization Efforts
Tamaș’s initiative arrives as the ANAF itself is rolling out new digital tools, albeit at a slower pace. The agency recently launched “ANA,” a chatbot designed to provide quick answers to common tax-related questions. According to Libertatea, ANA is initially available to users with access to SPV (Virtual Private Space) accounts and will eventually be accessible directly on the anaf.ro portal.
The chatbot is part of a larger initiative, “The Development of Current Remote Services (electronic or telephone) through New Functionalities and/or the Creation of New Services – e-Services ANAF,” funded by the Planul Național de Redresare și Reziliență (PNRR – National Recovery and Resilience Plan). Libertatea reported that the project aims to digitize the fiscal administration, aligning with Component C8 of the PNRR, which focuses on fiscal reform and pension system reform. “The launch of the ANA chatbot represents an important step in modernizing the fiscal services offered to taxpayers,” the ANAF stated.
However, the contrast between the ANAF’s gradual progress and Tamaș’s rapid deployment highlights a growing public demand for more efficient and user-friendly digital government services. The speed with which a single developer was able to create a functional and performant alternative to a key government website has sparked a national conversation about the pace of digitalization in Romania.
The Challenge of Modernizing Legacy Systems
The difficulties faced by the ANAF in modernizing its digital infrastructure are not unique to Romania. Many government agencies worldwide struggle with outdated legacy systems that are difficult and expensive to update. These systems often rely on complex, interconnected codebases that were developed decades ago, making them vulnerable to security breaches and resistant to new technologies.
Experts suggest that a key challenge is often bureaucratic inertia and a lack of investment in modern IT infrastructure. Procurement processes can be slow and cumbersome, and government agencies may lack the in-house expertise to manage complex digital transformation projects. The case of demoanaf.ro underscores the potential for agile, citizen-led initiatives to fill the gaps left by traditional government approaches.
The success of Tamaș’s platform remains to be seen, and it’s unclear whether the ANAF will adopt any of his solutions. However, it has already served as a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when innovation is prioritized and bureaucratic obstacles are removed. The ANAF has not yet publicly commented on demoanaf.ro, but the widespread attention it has received is likely to put pressure on the agency to accelerate its own digitalization efforts.
The next step for the ANAF will be to evaluate the feedback from users of the new “ANA” chatbot and to continue implementing the broader digitalization plan outlined in the PNRR. The agency is expected to provide an update on its progress in the coming months. Citizens interested in following the developments and providing feedback can visit the official ANAF website at www.anaf.ro.
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