04.07.2013

The Minister of Finance Petar Chobanov presented the measures for improving revenue collection and optimising the work of the revenue agency to the management of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria.  The meeting, which was held at the Ministry of Finance today, was attended by Mrs. Ginka Chavdarova, Executive Director, and Emil Savov, Deputy Director of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria.

Minister Chobanov emphasised that this meeting corresponded with and was a follow-up to the talks held recently at the Council of Ministers on current issues related to alleviation of the business and optimisation of the licensing regimes aimed at a removal of the administrative burden. He added that he believed that the dialogue with the municipalities would continue being as constructive so as to remove any barriers to the functioning of local governments in a timely manner.

Mrs. Ginka Chavdarova said that in terms of the collection of local taxes and charges, the measures taken by municipalities were already proving effective. The disclosure of public lists of taxable persons in default was mentioned as the most successful practice. The administrative burden from regimes and licences for activities that do not bring any own revenue but overload the work of municipal administrations continues to be a problem for municipalities.

The National Association of Municpalities in Bulgaria will submit to the Ministry of Finance its proposals for specific legislative amendments in order to improve the cooperation with municipalities.