The challenges facing Bulgaria are emerging, there are disputes about the budget, which will be in euros. The parties in parliament are arguing about why taxes will be raised… Lyubomir Alamanov, PR expert and managing director of the „Sayt Media“ agency, speaks to FACTI.
– Mr. Alamanov, which of the parties that are in government – GERB-SDF, BSP and ITN, but also with the support of „DPS – Novo nachalo“, has written in its election program that it will raise taxes and social security contributions?
– In general, political communications in Bulgaria lack consistency. Certainly before the elections, GERB-SDF's claim was that taxes would not be raised. They positioned themselves all the time as a supposedly right-wing party that thinks about business and the development of the economy. DPS – New Beginning went through several transformations – from fierce Euro-Atlantics to fierce “anti-Sorosists“. BSP talked about transforming the flat tax into a progressive one. And ITN… I guess no one cares what they say exactly anymore.
– Borisov and Peevski took pictures to legitimize a 20-year friendship. And what is the role of BSP and ITN in the “Zhelyazkov“ cabinet?
– Borisov and Peevski slowly and methodically destroyed every party that had contact with them. We can list RB, ABV, RZS, Patriotic Front, APS (Ahmed Dogan's party), BSP, and to some extent PP. Borisov and Peevski destroyed the very idea of normal politics in Bulgaria.
The picture was something like a defeated triumph of complacent winners.
And the BSP and ITN serve only as a cover – they are the smoked meat that is sent forward with the bad news to take away the negativity of the people. Even ITN signed the draft for changes to the law, which cut the powers of the president. And they did it without complaining – they clearly cannot say “no“.
– Everyone works “for the people“? Isn't that what we hear. There was no need for elections for there to be peace in the country, everyone was a guarantor… A guarantor of what? How do you perceive things?
– These are a few supposedly detached topics, but if you see the trend, The prospects are frightening. Every dictator says that he works for the people, for the people, for the “sovereign“.
Every dictator says: “You asked for it, and I, as your obedient servant, give it to you.“
This is the most common political manipulation from the time of the Colosseum to Donald Trump. In practice, this is the basis of ohlocracy, in which clever manipulators lure the crowd with bread and spectacles to convince them of what to publicly demand. And the manipulators, in turn, supposedly reluctantly give it to them - only because “the people/the people/the sovereign“ asked for it. With similar methods in Ancient Rome, they postponed elections and dictators wanted to be in charge forever. With similar methods in medieval Europe, kings thought themselves to be divinely anointed and ruled dynastically until death, literally.
With similar tactics, Trump spoke about a third term, and about the complete abolition of elections.
The people - Americans - begged him for this. How could he refuse them? And let's not forget that "in the name of the people" some of the greatest political atrocities in the history of mankind were committed.
- Otherwise, governance is not at all costs. The most preferred mantra of the parties when they govern. Do you see peace in the country with this government?
– The parties only say that governance is not at all costs. But as we see from practice, many parties end up disintegrating in a desperate attempt to cling to power. Currently, the ITN and the BSP are exposing themselves, just to stay in power. The reaction of their own voters is indicative. Because there are no principles, no consistency, no policies.
There is only greed and desire for state positions.
In practice, in recent years, only PP–DB acted in principle, keeping the promise and the procedure for the resignation of academician Denkov. And so they revealed what is happening behind the scenes of the “assembly“. That is why all the hysteria against them continues. And when there are no principles and policies, when there is no normal development, there is no way to have peace in the country. At any moment, some politician can come up with a strange idea and drive the country crazy.
– The draft budget for next year was submitted to parties, unions and industry organizations, and 24 hours later a vote was requested in parliament… Why did the ruling party do this? They really tried to have one day for discussion and reaction…
– Apparently, the government is facing insurmountable tasks related to the desire to redistribute the state budget. And they were late, not even presenting their ideas publicly. There was nothing to present – the ideas can be described in one sentence: we throw money at working people, we distribute it to our friends and wait for the elections.
Expecting to read and understand 500 pages of numbers, calculations, references, trends, etc. in one day is ridiculous.
There is no way it can be done. That is why many of the large employer associations, especially BESCO – The Association of Entrepreneurs, who are the future of the Bulgarian economy, have categorically declared themselves against such a mockery. Politicians clearly forget that the budget is practically “filled“ with people's money – from the workers, from the business.
– For the first time, all employer organizations have come out against this draft budget. What kind of signal is this?
– This is an obvious signal that there are huge problems with this budget. This is the first time taxes have been raised in this way – by such a large amount.
The numbers may not mean much to people, but overall, the workers will be hit hard.
But the bigger problem is how the more money collected will be spent. From this point of view, this is not a left-wing budget and it should stop being called that. Left-wing budgets are characterized by large public payments, investments in social structures and processes, free services for large parts of the population, many projects for utilities, social homes, and others. But we don't see such things.
We see something that can be described as a sleazy-cop budget.
On the one hand, businesses are threatened with sleazy methods and money is taken from them - as if we were in the 90s and gangs were going around offices to "insure". The message "we gave businesses billions to compensate for electricity" sounds as if GERB representatives reached into their pockets and gave personal funds to businesses.
In practice, the taxes that the companies paid compensated the same companies for their nefarious policies and the delay in the process of liberalizing the energy market.
On the other hand, the money collected is given only to the security forces, parts of the administration and loyal companies close to the government. It is completely understandable that all employer organizations will jump against such waste, which is not opposed by any reform, any change, any relief for business. However, let's not forget that companies make the budget, and those working in the private sector pay taxes and provide salaries for the administration and politicians.
– In general, how do you view the budget? You pay salaries in your company. What challenges do the new tax changes bring?
– The tax changes are unpleasant, especially the way they were made. The attitude of the government towards business is humiliating, as if they pay our salaries, and not we theirs. Business expects taxes to go for reforms – to improve the business environment, to reduce administrative burdens, to make legislation more effective, to make administrations work well and professionally, etc. And we see none of this in the draft new budget. The legend of how more money is needed for pensions in the National Social Security Institute collapses if we remember that it is precisely the same politicians who have made enormous efforts over the past 10 years to ruin the private pension fund sector and the second pillar of the pension system. Now we will all pay again so that politicians have more money to give away. If billions had not poured into the BDB, there would have been no need to raise the pension insurance. And this money will probably go again without public procurement to “friendly companies“, as happened in the last years of Borisov's third government.
– GERB leader Boyko Borisov has increasingly openly started commenting on the “Magnitsky” topic. He wanted to help so that the Bulgarians on the list would be removed. Why is Borisov speaking now? Why didn't he do it 2, 3 or 5 years ago?
– Sanctions under the “Magnitsky“ Act are imposed when local judicial authorities cannot deal with corruption.
This is a sign that the prosecutor's office in our country is not working.
Or is he working unilaterally, under political pressure? What Borisov says has long been irrelevant. What matters is that the British Embassy caught him lying. What also matters is that he was ready to offer important infrastructure projects in exchange for lifting sanctions. Apparently, someone is putting a lot of pressure on him to do this. In recent years, the media landscape has changed a lot - many media outlets have appeared, many media outlets have changed ownership, many media outlets have fired good journalists. Fewer and fewer fellow journalists manage to ask strong and good questions to those in power, and those in power are getting better at playing the snot out and not answering the questions. Society has been slowly boiled by false communication and currently has no strength or desire to confront the obvious nonsense that is pouring out from the corridor in front of the elevator.
– What signal is the “Magnitsky“ list around the world, because it is clear that it does not matter much in our country?
– This is a clear signal that there is no justice in our country, that the prosecutor's office works only when it wants, that anyone's business can be taken away without consequences. That is why foreign investors are decreasing. And the few remaining ones use targeted investments that cannot be collected.
– The British Embassy replied to Borisov that there will be no changes to the list on their part. Somehow the Bulgarian desire and British principles clash. What development do you expect?
– None. The British are known for their principles. They will keep these sanctions in place until something big happens – such as real political corruption being proven and the convicted going to prison, and not watching fabricated trials based only on testimonies extracted with threats. Until nothing is done here, nothing will change in Britain either.