site.btaReformist Bloc Moves Bill to Reduce Party Subsidies

Reformist Bloc Moves Bill to Reduce Party Subsidies

Sofia, December 28 (BTA) - The Reformist Bloc Wednesday moved draft amendments to the Political Parties Act reducing party subsidies by means of a sliding scale from 11 leva to 0.11 leva for one valid vote, and strict rules for how party subsidies may be spent, the Bulgaria for the Citizens Movement said.

The sponsors of the amendments argue that this will save more than 6.5 million leva annually.

The proposed amendments provide that the Finance Ministry keep 20 per cent of the subsidies and release the amounts only for elections. Also, the parties will not be allowed to purchase real property using state subsidy funding. As a measure for better control, the amendments provide that in addition to annual financial statements, political formations submit to the National Audit Office detailed breakdowns of expenses.

Under the suggested sliding scale, the subsidy will be reduced by 10 per cent for each 100,000 valid votes. The subsidy for votes above the mark of 1,000,000 will be 0.11 leva per vote. This is even less than the reduced subsidy approved by the November national referendum, the sponsors said, adding that the bill is expected to enter into force on January 1, 2017.