During the Blagoev Days, dozens of left-thinkers gathered in Plovdiv for the discussion "Challenges facing the left today. State - labor - capital". The chairman of the BSP National Assembly Krum Zarkov, Prof. Svetlana Sharenkova – member of the party's Executive Bureau, as well as the economist from the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions Assoc. Prof. Lyuboslav Kostov, Atanas Telcharov - regional chairman of the Plovdiv region, and the host and presenter was Eng. Kalin Milchev - chairman of the BSP City Council in Plovdiv.
Zarkov stated that without the BSP there cannot be a strong left in Bulgaria, but the BSP alone cannot build it. “We must show that we are a true left party – a group of people who voluntarily sacrifice their own time and energy to protect another group of people because they have identified a public interest and are ready to fight for it, not a club for career development.“, he also said.
In his words, the party must consolidate and open up – to other left-wing parties, to civil organizations, to trade union movements, to left-thinking people. “To all who in some way dig in the same soil every day as we do. We can support their ideas and causes, just as they can support ours.“, the socialist explained.
For his part, Assoc. Prof. Kostov stated that the history of the left and the trade union movements is closely intertwined, as are the ideas, understandings and goals, although they use different tools to achieve them. “Both socialism and trade unionism were born as a counterpoint to absolute capitalism, which dominates labor. We must help each other because we have the greatest strength – our common ideals, and we can be very useful to each other”, he also said.
According to him, the general opinion is that the tax system in Bulgaria is regressive and creates a lot of injustice – The World Bank has said it several times and made its proposals in this direction, but business does not hear it. “Now this has also been recognized by the EC. It is time to understand that in Bulgaria the more money you receive, the less you pay in solidarity in the system. The flat tax is unfair. In its original version, there is also a non-taxable minimum. In 22 EU member states, people with a minimum wage do not pay tax and the amount of this wage is deducted when taxing all other income.”, explained the trade unionist. According to him, people in these countries also receive a 13th salary, thus increasing purchasing power, which is one of the main indicators of economic growth. According to him, these are causes for which the left and the unions can and should work together.
Prof. Svetlana Sharenkova thanked the Plovdiv organization for its active involvement in the Blagoev Readings. According to her, in Plovdiv, the founder of the left, Dimitar Blagoev, along with the development of party activity, created and led the first successful union and cooperative associations. "This policy of cooperation is deeply rooted in our party and continues after his death. Therefore, the presence of union representatives is extremely important for the future of the great left-wing union, which is the basis of the efforts of both Chairman Zarkov and the BSP. The hope for it and for our country is in the hands of the young people participating in this discussion.", she concluded.