„The budget dispute ended last week. The cabinet under the leadership of Rumen Radev and at the suggestion of Galab Donev adopted the report on the implementation of Budget 2025 with exactly the numbers that were left by the cabinet „Zhelyazkov“. This was stated in the program „Face to Face“ on bTV by the chairman of „We continue the change“ Assen Vassilev.
According to him, Eurostat has officially confirmed that the deficit is 3.5%, which proves that there are no hidden invoices.
„Rumen Radev and his ministers lied to us for several months that he has a heavy legacy. The very fact that the government accepts the figures of the previous cabinet and sends them to parliament refutes all talk about hidden things. What is the truth, I cannot tell you, since I am not the finance minister and do not have the detailed breakdowns, but the numbers speak for themselves“, he added.
The crisis with the shock increase in fuel prices
The former finance minister criticized the current anti-crisis measures and described them as ineffective.
“The excise duty on propane-butane is being removed, provided that we have a serious problem with gasoline and diesel. "50 euros are given to the socially disadvantaged, regardless of whether they have cars or not," he pointed out.
Vassilev made a comparison with the mechanism introduced in 2022: "Back then, everyone with a Bulgarian coupon received a 25 stotinki discount per liter for gasoline, diesel, propane-butane and methane." Thus, we did not finance transit traffic, and the assistance was real for the citizens“.
He specified that this discount was financed directly from the additional profits of “Lukoil“, after the refinery tax was raised first from 10% to 33% in 2022, and then to 50% in 2023 due to the derogation for Russian oil agreed with the EU.
“Thus, instead of going outside Bulgaria, the money returned to the Bulgarian citizens“, stressed Vassilev.
He also expressed indignation at a statement by the Minister of Economy, Alexander Pulev.
“It is terrible for a minister to state that under the old special manager “Lukoil“ was managed so that the price was cheap, but it should have been managed so that the company made profits. You are a minister of the Bulgarian state. Your role in such a monopoly is to protect citizens and companies with low prices, not to raise the refinery's profits to the ceiling,“ said Assen Vassilev.
Over 3 billion leva “unexplained expenses“ in the new budget
Assen Vassilev explained that thanks to the PP protests, the tax increases and additional expenses of nearly 10 billion leva originally planned in the 2026 budget were stopped. However, the project now adopted by the caretaker government is “even worse“.
“In this budget, there are 1.7 billion euros (over 3 billion leva) of completely unexplained expenses, for which it is not described what they will be spent on. If they are directed into a real anti-crisis package for companies and citizens, we will get through the upcoming external crisis much more easily“, he was categorical.
As an example of poor distribution, Vassilev pointed to the current program for electricity compensation for businesses, where a full 170 million euros go to just 15 large enterprises, instead of the aid being for all businesses according to their consumption. The situation was similar with fuels – 100 million euros are directed to grain producers who have already produced their grain before the price increase.
“There is a huge concentration there – 80% of the subsidies and lands are cultivated by about 20 related families, and the large massifs are artificially broken up so that the money goes to the same end owners“, concluded Asen Vassilev.
In all the government's measures there is "a spoonful of tar"
According to him, in all the government's measures, among which, according to him, there are many meaningful ones, it is as if "a spoonful of tar" has been put in to make it not work. He also gave an example of this.
“They are raising food vouchers from 100 euros to 200 euros – a great measure. But they are imposing a 7% tax. Is the treasury up to these 50 million euros?“, he asked.
Vassilev gave another measure as an example.
„They are raising the tax relief for working parents - a great measure. But is it 500 euros for the first child, 400 for the second child, and 300 for the third child. And now are you going to buy different toys for the children? It should be the same for each child“, is the opinion of Assen Vassilev.
„Good ideas, but I have the feeling that someone is cutting them and in every good idea they have put some kind of flaw that would taint the idea“, he added.
According to him, the tax assessment on properties should be raised, but at the same time the tax rate should be reduced so that Bulgarian citizens do not pay higher taxes.
“We have currently imposed a high tax rate on a low tax assessment and are deceiving the entire population. If the assessment is corrected, the rate can be reduced and thus Bulgarian citizens will not be harmed. And this is the sensible thing to do in combination with both, and not just raise the assessment and put everyone under the knife“, explained Vassilev.