Hotel and Restaurant Owners Protest in Veliko Tarnovo Against 20% VAT Reinstatement

• Hotel and restaurant owners and employees protested in Veliko Tarnovo against the return of 20 percent VAT for the sector
• The protest included a rally-concert in front of the Konstantin Kisimov Music and Drama Theater
• Associations in the tourism sector have been seeking communication with the government for four months without success
• Dimitur Manolov, a local business owner, stated that VAT collection has increased since 2019 when it was 9 percent
• Richard Alibegov, head of the Bulgarian Association of Establishments, mentioned ongoing protests and lack of communication with the government
• Concerns include not only VAT but also laws on smoking and business closures
• A larger protest is expected in Sofia, but no date is set
• Chef Bogomil expressed concerns about potential customer decline and job cuts
• The event featured performances by musicians and local talents
• The protest was initially planned for April 9 but was postponed
• A previous protest occurred on March 19, blocking traffic for about half an hour

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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