Balgarianovinite.com GERB will withdraw the dividend tax, reduce the 2% contribution to the Pension Fund, proposing a single rate instead, and will not introduce the sales management software for retail outlets, party leader Boyko Borissov said at a briefing in Parliament on Friday.
“Consider this budget withdrawn. The Budget Committee did not meet yesterday [Thursday], and nothing will happen until we reach an agreement with the trade unions, employers, and the other parties,” Borissov said here on Friday.
On Thursday, Borissov said that he had asked the Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova to withdraw the draft budget or find a legal mechanism to proceed, given that it has already passed first reading in the National Assembly. Later, GERB hosted a meeting with unions and employers, after which the President of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, Dimitar Manolov, announced that the budgets were not withdrawn but rather the procedure was suspended.
On Wednesday evening, thousands of people filled streets in downtown Sofia and the square known as the “Power Triangle”, where the new National Assembly building is flanked by the Presidency and the Council of Ministers, to protest the adoption of the 2026 budget bills.
According to Borissov, there are three possible scenarios for the budget. The first is to withdraw it entirely and start the process anew. The second, is to reach an agreement with trade unions and employers. Borissov expressed confidence that this would be possible, noting that GERB is prepared to make concessions, including on the dividend tax and pension contributions. He added that all parties are expected to present their proposals by Tuesday, after which the Parliamentary Budget Committee would convene to finalize the legislation.
If no agreement is reached, a third option would involve submitting a bill for an “extended budget” to ensure pensions and salaries are paid from January 1. “I prefer a regular budget,” Borissov emphasized. He confirmed that GERB MPs will not vote for the already submitted budget.
On why the Government previously claimed there was no alternative, Borissov said this only applied within the coalition. “It became clear that businesses and others did not agree with it,” he said, referring to the protests.
Regarding the concession for the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator lottery, proposed in the draft budget, Borissov said that he is ready to forgo all concessions but highlighted that gambling turnover in Bulgaria this year reached BGN 44 billion, while the state-run operator earned just BGN 70 million. “The legally reported profit from gambling activities to the National Revenue Agency is BGN 2 billion, meaning that BGN 2 billion have been taken from the pockets of Bulgarians who gamble,” he said, questioning whether it would not be more reasonable to grant the concession to a private operator.
Borissov did not deny tensions with the BSP – United Left over the budget, noting that disagreements have existed since the coalition’s inception. “Two right-wing parties and two far-left parties formed this coalition. It has been shaky from day one, yet it looks deceptively stable,” he said, adding that compromises were made but were rejected by employers and other stakeholders. He stressed the need to protect the interests of business while maintaining social obligations. GERB to Withdraw Dividend Tax, Reduce Pension Fund Contribution, Says Party Leader Borissov 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-28 13:47:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
