site.btaVazrazhdane Opposes Raising of Taxes and Insurance, Separating Minimum from Average Wage

The Vazrazhdane party does not support the raising of taxes and insurances, as well as the freezing of employees' incomes, including dropping the previous criterion for determining the minimum wage by separating it from the average wage, stated the party in a position on the minimum wage

Vazrazhdane argued that the government's aspiration to achieve a 3% deficit is leading to the introduction of risky measures, which will simultaneously reduce the disposable income of Bulgarians (already the lowest in the EU), stimulate a transition to a gray economy, as well as increase the costs of employers.

Varazhdane pointed to one dangerous measure already being developed as the actual reduction of the minimum wage. The political formation argues that given the cartelization and feudalization of entire sectors and areas in the Bulgarian economy, the salaries of many workers and employees are artificially kept low (including at the very level of the minimum wage). "However, the average wage in the country can rise (and is rising) thanks to free and competitive sectors. That is why the most oppressed Bulgarians in their wages need a legally guaranteed connection of their wage with the average for the country," the position reads.
The text goes on to define the purpose of these measures as "unjustified and risky for our economy, also deeply undemocratic due to the refusal of the political leadership to ask the Bulgarian people about this strategic topic".

The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy commented to BTA on Thursday that in accordance with the current Labour Code (LC), the minimum wage for 2025 has been set by a decree of the Council of Ministers and will be BGN 1,077 from January 1. Legislative changes to transpose the EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive into national law will not lead to a reduction in its amount, the institution stressed.

The deadline for transposition of the Directive is November 15, 2024, which stems from the obligation of Member States to do so within 2 years of its promulgation, the Ministry said. "Within this timeframe, the Government has fulfilled its commitment to provide the European Commission with information on the national legislation in force related to the Directive," the Ministry told BTA. 

Earlier in the week, the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour and the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria issued a position on the legislative changes being discussed.