"Phantasmagoria": Zhelyazkov promised not to raise taxes and social security contributions
The prime minister indirectly accused the chairman of the Fiscal Council, Simeon Dyankov, who launched the idea of raising taxes, of incompetence
© ECONOMIC.BG / BTA
~ 2 min read
Georgi Zhelyazkov In response to the statement by the chairman of the Fiscal Council, Simeon Djankov, that tax increases in Bulgaria are inevitable, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov promised on Tuesday that the government has no intention of increasing the tax and social security burden. His comment came from Burgas, where he attended the launch of the national information campaign for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria.
Consider who is saying this and judge for yourself whether the news is not a fantasy. If the government had intended to increase the tax and social security burden, it would have stated this clearly and categorically. And this is stated first in cabinet acts, second in communication from the cabinet, where the proposals to the legislature are made, and in the budget law for the following year," Zhelyazkov said, quoted by BTA.
We would like to remind you that the Medium-Term Budget Forecast (2025-2028) of the Ministry of Finance, published with the presentation of the 2025 Budget, explicitly states that in 2026 and 2027 the social security burden will increase by a total of 3 percentage points. An increase in social security thresholds is also planned. All of this amounts to an increase in the social security burden.
He added that in none of these components or topics has the government committed to a position that it will or intends to do so, or that it is preparing to do so.
However, the prime minister stressed that this does not mean that the government will not strive for financial discipline and a normal balance between revenue and expenditure with a view to achieving a more balanced budget.
Zhelyazkov also expressed his opinion on the rise in prices in Bulgaria, saying that, in his view, the reason for this is not the introduction of the euro, which he described as "absolutely false news." He believes that the rise in prices is a natural economic process and is linked to the fact that incomes are growing faster than the economy.
Translated with DeepL.
