site.btaRestaurant, Hotel Owners Prepare for Nationwide Protest

Representatives of the restaurant and hotel sectors are announcing a nationwide protest under the slogan "Politicians, don't turn our lights off!" from April 7 to 9, demanding that the reduced VAT rate of 9% for the tourism sector be restored, the hotel and restaurant associations of Bulgaria said in a press release. 

The organizers of the protest call on all nationally representative restaurant and hotel associations, their local structures in the country, as well as the organizations of tourism-related businesses to join the organized protest "Future for Tourism" - Varna - Veliko Tarnovo - Sofia.

A symbolic protest "9 minutes of darkness for 9% VAT" is planned for April 7 in all food and drink establishments in the country. On April 8, at 4 pm, there will be a rally march, starting from the Municipality of Varna, and restaurants will close from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. In Veliko Tarnovo, on April 9, from 5 pm to 7 pm, there will be a rally concert in front of the municipality building, and restaurants will be closed from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Also on April 9, from 3 pm to 7 pm, a nationwide protest will take place in the capital's Battenberg Square under the slogan "Politicians, don't kill Bulgarian tourism, don't turn our lights off forever", and restaurants will close from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

The extreme measure comes as a result of numerous calls from the restaurant industry to the representatives of the ruling majority for a meeting to discuss ways to increase tax collection, and to look into the industry's arguments for maintaining the 9% tax for restaurant customers. Businesses have repeatedly said that the return of the VAT rate to 20% as of January 1 will lead to bankruptcies, business closures, reduced turnover, staff redundancies - processes that have already begun, the press release said. The industry reiterates that Bulgaria is the only country in the EU that develops tourism but does not have a reduced rate for the restaurant sector.

In March, there were already protest actions in Velingrad, Plovdiv, Varna, Montana, Dimitrovgrad, Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Veliko Tarnovo, Sandanski, Lovech, Blagoevgrad, Simitli, Pazardzhik, and other towns.