Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Parliament adopts the 2023 budget at first reading

Photo: БГНЕС

Bulgaria's Parliament approved the 2023 state budget in the first reading with 156 votes in favor. The support came from GERB-SDS, PP-DB and DPS deputies. The "BSP for Bulgaria" and the parties "Wazrazhdane" and "There is Such a People" (ITN) voted against.
"This budget is not revolutionary, it continues the policies and best practices started in the last years. We have managed to maintain a 3 percent deficit for the third year in a row and to adjust spending to existing resources without affecting Bulgarian citizens," Finance Minister Assen Vasilev said.
Despite its support, GERB-SDS said that the budget does not solve a single problem and does not envisage serious reform.
According to BSP Chair Kornelia Ninova, the government's measures hinder the work of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The state plan envisages 69.5 billion leva (35.53 billion euros) in revenue. They are to come from better tax and fee collection by the tax and customs authorities, a 100 percent dividend from state-owned enterprises and economic growth of 1.8 percent. 
Expenditures are to amount to 74 billion leva, while social benefits are to be maintained - an increase in pensions according to the Swiss rule, a minimum wage of 780 leva and a poverty line of 504 leva are planned.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Restored 19th-century press rolls again in Plovdiv

After restoration, a 19th-century printing press from the printing house of Hristo G. Danov - the founder of Bulgarian book publishing - is back in action in Old Plovdiv. According to BNT, visitors to Danov’s house-museum at 2 Mitropolit Paisiy Street..

published on 5/24/25 1:22 PM
Grozdan Karadzhov, Minister of Transport and Communications (C), Kiril Valchev, the Director General of BTA (R), and Lyudmil Veselinov, the author of the artistic design, stamped a postage stamp dedicated to the 20 WMBM.

Postage stamp issued for 20th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media

A commemorative postage stamp marking May 24 — the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture, and Slavic literacy — as well as the 20th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media, was officially validated today. The..

published on 5/24/25 11:19 AM

“Trend”: Forty-three per cent of Bulgarians have not read a single book in the last year

The majority of Bulgarians (83%) consider reading books to be important. However, according to a survey conducted by the sociological agency Trend on behalf of 24 Hours between 12 and 18 May 2025, four out of ten people (43%) admit that they have not..

published on 5/24/25 10:57 AM