Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Finance Ministry proposes increase of VAT for restaurant business back to 20%

Photo: Ani Petrova, BNR

The VAT rate for restaurateurs to become 20% again is one of the measures in the tax laws proposed by the Ministry of Finance. During the Covid epidemic, the tax rate for the industry was reduced to 9%. According to Minister Asen Vasilev, its restoration to pre-coronavirus levels has been discussed with the restaurant industry.

Assen Vassilev has received the assurance of their representatives that they will develop measures to lighten the business, as well as to raise the insurance thresholds of workers above the minimum wage. "If the effect of lightening is greater than raising the rate, we can consider possibly to keep the 9% rate, but only if a very serious complex of measures comes into play", emphasized the minister.

Among other measures discussed is the return of the patent tax for the smallest traders. Basic taxes for citizens and businesses remain unchanged.

As for next year's state budget, the goal is to keep the deficit within the 3% of the Gross Domestic Product permitted under Maastricht.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Support for protesting Serbian students in Pirot.

Bulgarians and Serbs from Tsaribrod and Pirot support student protests

Bulgarians and Serbs from the towns of Tsaribrod and Pirot marched in support of the student protests in Serbia , reports BTA. "We want the students' demands to be met and we hope that there will be changes in Serbia," demonstrators from the two towns in..

published on 2/16/25 10:27 AM

Balkan Stream pipeline exempted from US sanctions on Gazprombank transactions until March 2025

The Balkan Stream gas pipeline will not be subject to US sanctions for transactions with Russia's Gazprombank. This was revealed in a written answer to a parliamentary question to Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov. On December 23, 2024, the Ministry of..

published on 2/16/25 9:45 AM
Timco Mucunski (L) and Georg Georgiev (R)

North Macedonia's EU membership goes through the inclusion of Bulgarians in its constitution

Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev met with North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski during the Munich Security Conference. Georg Georgiev emphasized that Bulgaria's position regarding the European integration of North..

published on 2/15/25 5:25 PM