site.btaBulgarians Aged 15-24 Show Highest Tolerance for Grey Economy

Bulgarians aged 15-24 show the highest tolerance towards the grey economy, said Prof. Emiliya Chengelova, head of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), during a presentation of a study, “Tolerance of the Bulgarian Population Toward the Shadow Economy”, to members of the parliamentary committee on labor and social policy.  

The study, conducted in the summer of 2021, involved 1,800 participants aged 15 and older. According to Chengelova, the most significant violations are committed in this age group, and their tolerance towards the shadow economy is the highest.  

The issue of tolerance for the grey sector is critically important, Chengelova said. Despite claims that the shadow economy has been controlled, this is not the case, she added, referring to external assessments by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund showing that Bulgaria continues to have the highest share of the shadow economy in Europe.  

Labour Minister Borislav Gutsanov said that large amounts of money fail to enter the state budget due to the shadow economy.