Pigeons should be careful not to clip their own wings. This was written on her Facebook page by independent municipal councilor Vanya Grigorova as a comment on the proposed new parameters of Budget 2026 by the Minister of Finance Galab Donev, reports "Focus".
Among the key proposals of the Ministry of Finance are maintaining taxes without change and increasing all pensions by 7.8% from July 1, 2026 under the current legal mechanism. Social payments for the most vulnerable groups are also guaranteed. It is planned to eliminate the automatic increase in the salaries of the Prime Minister, ministers, deputy ministers, as well as those employed in elected positions in regulatory bodies, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, higher education institutions, and others.
In addition, it is proposed that members of parliament abandon the linking of their salaries to the average salary in the public sector. The budget framework also includes an increase in the maximum social security income by 189 euros from August 1, 2026, which will reach 2,300 euros, as well as a 5% increase in the minimum social security thresholds, also from August 1, 2026.
Here is what Grigorova commented on the new parameters of the 2026 Budget:
Limiting the salaries of ministers and deputies are among the intentions for the new budget. Half the budget, by the way, is that much left for the year. This will not save much money, despite the expectations among the public. Which, by the way, craves for the representatives of the people to be punished, and does not wait for money to be saved. Okay, punish them. This way, by the way, they will also demonstrate solidarity with the rest of society, which will bear the burdens of the Podlogadzhian foreign policy of the ruling party so far. True, you will punish those who have not PARTICIPATED so far, but that seems to be of little interest to the public.
However! 10% cut in salary costs in the state administration, Minister Galab Donev also announced. Not 10, 50% cut! And then I will ask them who exactly will implement the policies that they vote on in the National Assembly. And I immediately give an example with the bills to control speculatively high prices.
- Until now, the right-wingers explained that regulators simply need to work and the omnipresent market will sort out everything else. Without giving them tools to be more effective. That is, they transferred the problem from the sick head to the healthy one.
- The bills of "Progressive Bulgaria" will not quickly and automatically lead to a reduction in prices. But they would limit abuses and arm-twisting by large retail chains towards Bulgarian producers.
However, how will this control be implemented? Just because it is written in the law?! No. It will be implemented if there are inspectors who conduct on-site inspections, who review the piles of documents on expenses, income, markups, etc. and judge whether a price is unreasonably high or not. They impose sanctions to stop speculation.
Are there any inspectors? The Consumer Protection Commission currently employs 133 employees. The vacant positions are 32. The following questions arise here:
1. Do 133 people have the physical ability and long enough days and nights, even with maximum mobilization and heavy workaholism, to control 150,000 retail outlets in the country? If someone answers with "yes", let them be so kind as to start working in the CPC and demonstrate.
2. Should the vacant positions be reduced? Obviously, more people are needed, not fewer.
3. The average net salary in the CPC, according to public data, is about 2,400 leva. Average means that there are people with lower and people with higher salaries.
4. The average salary cost for vacant positions per year is approximately 1.3 million leva or 660 thousand euros.
That is, it is planned to save 660 thousand euros, instead of increasing the efficiency of the Consumer Protection Commission and having someone to implement the adopted laws against speculation. Or do we adopt some laws, have them on paper and then repeat again "but the commission doesn't work"? You work effectively with a handful of people, even if they are the hardest working ones!
The roar of the right, who brought the country to this state: "But they want to increase the minimum social security thresholds!" I don't know if they are stupid or pretending to be, but it would be good if they first went through a few lessons before gaining the confidence to comment on such key topics in extremely vulgar ways.
The minimum insurance thresholds are the amounts at which the employer is obliged to provide employees with MINIMUM. The vast majority of them have traditionally been at the level of the minimum wage for years. That is, if someone is dissatisfied with the minimum insurance income, then he very rudely HIDES insurance even below the minimum!
Due to the lack of budget and all the disabilities resulting from this, MOD LEGALLY are below the minimum wage. That is, we are in a completely absurd situation! An executive director of a company producing milk and dairy products, for example, can be insured for 550.66 euros. The minimum wage is 620.20 euros. That is, this executive director with prices per kilogram of yellow cheese of 13 euros can be completely legally insured only for 550.66 euros. Is this normal?! It is not, but our right-wingers are not either.
First, the right-wingers are ignored. They have been showing for almost four decades what they can do, in fact what they CANNOT do. Secondly, I don't know if they will look at the budget "feather by feather", but they should try not to clip their wings.