site.btaSome Restaurant Owners Keep Protests Going with Demand for Lower VAT

Some restaurant owners are trying to keep going the protests with demands for lower VAT across the sector. On Tuesday, protests were scheduled in the Black Sea city of Varna and the northeastern town of Shumen but those in Shumen were subsequently called off. 

Marin Sotirov, head of the Varna structure of the Association of Establishments in Bulgaria, told BTA that establishments would be closed from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 pm to press on with the restaurant owners' demands for a VAT of 9%, down from the flat rate of 20% that Bulgaria applies. Sotirov said that people are disappointed because for months no one wanted to hear their opinion. "Neither the Government, nor any political party can ignore the tourism sector, which contributes significantly to the country's GDP," he emphasized. He argued that all EU countries with an important tourism sector have a VAT of 10%.

Sotirov said that a protest is planned in Sofia on Wednesday.

On April 1, the hotel and restaurant associations of Bulgaria called 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" in Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and Sofia from April 7 to 9.