Restaurant and Hotel Owners Protest in Sofia, Demand 9% VAT for Tourism Sector

• Restaurateurs and hoteliers protested in Sofia demanding a 9 percent VAT for the sector
• The protest was organized under the slogan Politicians do not kill Bulgarian tourism do not turn off our lights forever
• The protest was organized by the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association and other related associations
• Participants came from various cities including Sandanski Haskovo Targovishte and Plovdiv
• Foreign workers from Nepal India and former Soviet Union countries also joined
• Speakers noted that neighboring countries have lower VAT rates for tourism
• The VAT rate for the sector was previously reduced from 20 to 9 percent due to COVID-19 restrictions
• The VAT rate returned to 20 percent with the 2025 budget approval

Source: bta.bg

Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.

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