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

Tourist industry wants lower VAT to remain in place

Dimitrina Goranova
Photo: BTA

Bulgarian tour operators and travel agents are hoping the new parliament will reconsider the decision to revert to the higher VAT (20%) for the industry as of 1 July. They are insisting that tourist packages be subject to 9% VAT until the end of 2024, as has been the case for restaurant operators.

“Unless that happens we shall have to pay hundreds of thousands of leva to make up for the difference up to 20% because the tourist packages were sold last year, budgeting for a VAT rate amounting to 9% and we cannot update prices now,” said Dimitrina Goranova, chair of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents in an interview with the Bulgarian news agency BTA.

A lower VAT rate was introduced three years ago as a temporary measure during the Covid pandemic but tour operators say they have not yet reached 2019 levels, and are insisting that the 9% VAT rate for the industry remain in place.



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

PM Rosen Zhelyazkov

Bulgaria has requested an extraordinary convergence report on the euro: PM Zhelyazkov

Bulgaria has submitted a request for an extraordinary convergence report based on the understanding that the country meets the criteria for entering the Eurozone, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said at the opening of a new production facility in..

published on 2/25/25 11:49 AM
Ivo Mihov

Team at Sofia University is working on creating a quantum computer

Artificial intelligence is now built entirely from classical computers with algorithms, while artificial intelligence based on quantum computers will be much faster and more functional , says doctoral student Ivo Mihov from the Center for Quantum..

published on 2/25/25 11:00 AM
Photo: Bulgarian Sunday school in Edirne

Interest in studying Bulgarian is growing in Edirne

The Bulgarian Sunday school "Priest Alexander Cikirik" in the town of Edirne close to the Bulgarian-Turkish border is now attended by 55 children. It was opened in 2017 at the Consulate General of Bulgaria. In one school year, the children there..

published on 2/25/25 10:17 AM