US EditionBulgaria withdraws 2026 budget proposal following street protests
About 20,000 protesters opposed tax hikes and record 46% GDP government spending, leading to the withdrawal of Bulgaria's 2026 draft budget after clashes and injuries.
- Following large street protests earlier this week, Bulgaria's government withdrew its 2026 draft budget on Thursday after more than 20,000 demonstrated in Sofia amid warnings from the European Commission and International Monetary Fund.
- The draft budget proposed raising social security contributions and doubling dividend tax to 10%, with record government spending at nearly 46% of GDP funded mainly by higher taxes on businesses and workers and increased public debt.
- Protests began at 6 pm local time, with demonstrators forming a human chain around the National Assembly, throwing bottles and firecrackers, injuring three police officers amid clashes with riot-control units.
- Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said the budget will be revised after talks with social partners, and Boyko Borissov urged restoring dialogue with employers and unions.
- As Bulgaria prepares to join the eurozone next year, opposition and business groups warned higher taxes and spending could restrain investment, expand the shadow economy and spur inflation.
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34 Articles
After a demonstration Wednesday before Parliament in Sofia against this text which provides for increases in social contributions and taxes on dividends, the Prime Minister backtracked.
Bulgarians Surround Parliament as Anger Over New Budget Boils Over
Tensions flared in central Sofia on Wednesday evening as thousands of Bulgarians rallied against the government’s draft budget for next year, a plan critics say will saddle households and employers with punishing tax rises. What began as a large, orderly demonstration quickly turned volatile around the National Assembly, where MPs were debating the 2026 spending package. The protest was organised by the opposition alliance “We Continue the Chang…
Bid to Hike Taxes Collapses in Bulgaria After Thousands Protest
Bulgaria´s government announced it is withdrawing its 2026 budget, following street protests over steep tax increases. The post Bid to Hike Taxes Collapses in Bulgaria After Thousands Protest in Capital Sofia appeared first on Breitbart.
Thousands protest new budget plans in Bulgaria ahead of final approval
Thousands of protesters staged a major demonstration outside the parliament building in the capital, Sofia, to denounce the steep taxes announced in next year’s budget draft. Protesters formed a human chain around the building to prevent MPs from exiting.
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