Close to one hundred owners of filling stations have gathered for a protest rally near the Beroe stadium in the southeastern Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora to voice their discontent over the mandatory installation of fuel measuring equipment.

The protesters insist on holding a meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov by the end of the week to present their stance on the matter, the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported on Tuesday.

The filling station owners say the measure constitutes an attempt of major filling station chains to push them out of the market.

Venting their indignation at accusations of misreporting turnovers, they claim that buying fuel in the grey is no bargain because the buyers need to pay the full amount of VAT.

According to their latest calculations, the installation of the level gauging devices will cost over BGN 20 000 and will require them to close the sites during the process.

The protesters remain positive that the step will not result in any contributions to the state budget and that they will not be able to achieve a return, which they say contradicts EU rules.

The disgruntled fuel retailers threaten to refer the matter to the Bulgarian MEPs if Finance Minister Simeon Djankov and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov decline receive them.

According to a recent report from the National Revenue Agency (NRA), an estimated 2000 out of a total of 3200 filling stations in the country have so far taken no steps to fit their reservoirs with level gauging systems.

If they fail to provide the required equipment by the end of 2011, it is almost certain that they will miss the end-March deadline for connecting their fiscal cash registers to the electronic sensors at the fuel dispensers and the reservoirs' level gauging systems.

The failure to observe the statutory requirements will entail a fine of up to BGN 10 000 and a closure of the noncompliant sites.

As of the beginning of 2011, sites trading liquid fuels are obliged to report turnovers electronically to the NRA.

A total of 269 noncompliant filling stations were closed in January over their failure to observe the regulations.

In June, filling station owners were asked to also start sending reports about fuel volumes sold though the fuel dispensers and quantities stored in reservoirs.

Fuel traders now need to upgrade the existing electronic systems to allow the tax authorities to access real-time data about financial flows and fuel volumes.

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