site.btaEducation, Health Care and Incomes Prioritized in Socialists' Proposal for 2018 National Budget

Sofia, October 23 (BTA) - Education, health care and incomes are the top priorities in the proposal of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) for a national budget for next year. The budget proposal was made public by BSP leader Kornelia Ninova Monday. She explained that it was prepared on the basis of a three-year budget framework forecast published by the government in June 2017.

Ninova said that the root cause of the problems in health care is that hospitals are commercial corporations and the BSP budget proposal deals with that - rather than with the consequences. It means that the BSP proposes that hospitals no longer operate as commercial corporations but as entities registered by the Medical Treatment Establishments Act.

The root cause of the problems in education is the wrong model in which the money follows the student. BSP proposes abandoning this model.

The Socialists also propose a new taxation model in which the flat rate is abandoned and a progressive tax with a nontaxable threashold is set in place for individuals.

Ninova said that the result of this will be lower taxes for over 2.8 million Bulgarians.

The corporate income tax stays the same in the BSP proposal. The divident tax, however, is increased to 10 per cent from the present 5 per cent.

The budget proposal has a deficit of some 1.4 per cent.

The Socialist party proposes to introduce what they call "a culture cheque" for young people.

Dragomir Stoynev said that BSP aims to "cure the disease in four areas: inequality, education, health care and regional disparities".

"GERB plan more outlays for the status quo and we propose increased financing for reformed systems and reform models," Ninova said.