New rules and thresholds for receiving monthly child benefits come into effect from August 1 with the changes set out in the state budget. The aim of the update is to increase the income criterion, which will allow more parents to be entitled to this financial assistance. The changes in the budget provide for even higher insurance contributions for people with high salaries, higher excise duty on cigarettes and more expensive vignettes, reports Nova TV.
Currently, the state provides assistance to families with lower incomes, with the amount increasing depending on the number of children. For one child, the allowance is just over 25 euros per month, and for four children it reaches nearly 90 euros.
Until now, the condition for receiving the full amount was that the average income of a family member should not exceed 388.58 euros per month. With the new texts, the proposal is to raise this threshold to 415 euros per person from August 1. The threshold for those families with slightly higher incomes, who are entitled to receive 80% of the amount of assistance, is also being raised.
The Ministry of Social Affairs states that thanks to the increase in the threshold determining access to assistance, parents of about 440,000 children will continue to receive monthly allowances on average.
Despite the changes, some parents believe that social policy in Bulgaria does not do enough for the benefit of families. Some mothers and fathers admit that they do not submit documents at all, as they do not meet the criteria, and do not consider the amount to be “life-saving“.
Organizations also express dissatisfaction. From the Civil Initiative “Parents for Dignified Motherhood“ are adamant that the income ceiling should be abolished entirely. According to Ivanka Todorova from the organization, it is pure discrimination for some children not to receive any allowances. She defines as unfair the fact that parents who pay the highest taxes in the country are not entitled to receive the 25 euro allowance for their children.