The chairman of the parliamentary group of “Progressive Bulgaria“ Petar Vitanov said that he personally supports the proposal for a one-time tax on excess profits. The measure is among the announced parameters of the budget for next year and is expected to cover the banking, insurance and telecommunications sectors, as well as retail chains. The proposal has not yet been discussed at the parliamentary group level.
“The most important thing for us is the well-being of the people, not the favor of big business“, said Vitanov in the program “Face to Face“ on bTV.
According to him, the tax will not be applied to the entire profit, but only to the amount above a certain threshold. It should be calculated based on the average financial results of the respective companies for the previous five years.
Vitanov also linked the proposal to the growth of banks' profits in recent years. According to him, banking fees in Bulgaria are significantly higher than those in a number of European countries.
„The fees in Bulgarian banks are absolutely incomparable to those in Europe - many times higher. You cannot have 10 leva for a transfer“, said Petar Vitanov.He pointed out that he used a Belgian bank during his work as an MEP and personally compared the conditions. Vitanov said that a similar type of taxation is already being applied in several European countries and expressed support for its introduction in Bulgaria.
Tax assessments and income
Vitanov also defended the phased updating of property tax assessments. According to him, the assessments have not been changed for about 20 years, while the market prices of housing and other properties have increased significantly.
He rejected claims that the budget will lead to a freeze in incomes. According to him, increases of 5% in salaries in the budget sector, 7.5% in teachers' salaries and 8% in pensions are planned. Even higher scholarships, greater benefits for children with disabilities and tax breaks for families with children are being discussed.
According to Vitanov, the government aims to reduce the budget deficit to below 3% and at the same time limit new state debt. He did not specify a specific amount for the planned new financing, as the final parameters of the budget have yet to be presented.
Bulgaria to participate in anti-drone mechanism
In the interview, Vitanov also commented on defense initiatives related to countering drones. According to him, Bulgaria did not join earlier due to a lack of clarity about the financial commitments, but has already taken the necessary steps.
He stated that the annual cost would be several hundred thousand euros and described the amount as relatively small compared to the budget's capabilities.
Vitanov also commented on the drone attacks against merchant ships off the Bulgarian coast. According to him, the authorities did not categorically point to Russia as the perpetrator after the first incidents because they did not have irrefutable evidence.
„When you speak on behalf of the state, you cannot deal only with assumptions. That is why we were waiting for irrefutable evidence“, he said.According to him, Bulgaria should work with Romania and Turkey to guarantee safe sea routes, including by discussing separate shipping corridors.