site.btaPoorest Pensioners to Receive 40 Leva Easter Bonus

Sofia, March 28 (BTA) - Approached by journalists ahead of Wednesday's Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that pensioners with a monthly income below the poverty line will receive a one-off additional payment of 40 leva to their April pensions for Easter.

In Borissov's words, such bonuses were incidental several years ago but now when Christmas and Easter come, over 1 million pensioners expect a 40 leva bonus to their pensions. He underscored that around 100 million leva are allocated for this purpose.

He said that over 1.2 million pensioners will receive an Easter bonus this year, and this will cost over 50 million leva to the national budget.

Labour and Social Policy Minister Bisser Petkov thanked PM Borissov and Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov for the additional resources provided for Easter bonuses for 1,227,000 pensioners, or 56.5 per cent of Bulgarian pensioners. He said the National Social Security Institute is ready to implement the decision once it is adopted by the Council of Ministers, so that these one-off additional payments can be made as the payment of pensions starts on April 4.