What's Right, What's Left In Bulgarian Politics

Novinite Insider » OPINIONS | Author: Hristina Dimitrova |September 5, 2014, Friday // 12:34
Bulgaria: What's Right, What's Left In Bulgarian Politics File photo.

Political studies tend to describe parties and policies in two basic broad categories: left and right. 

As everywhere else across the world, Bulgarian parties also like to describe themselves in those terms, mostly for the sake of slogans and campaign speeches. To a side observer the division is clear, but to a close observer the definitions are upside down.  

Here is a recent example: GERB party, which describes itself as right-of-centre and would most likely win the upcoming early elections in October, if polls are to be believed, proposes that local authorities have the right to raise the personal income tax by up to 2% and get the extra proceeds in their budgets.

This means that the flat 10% income tax could theoretically be raised. Political studies say that the right-of-centre parties are not in favour of raising taxes and don't include such proposals in their programmes. 

On the other hand, the flat 10% income tax was proposed in 2007 and introduced in 2008 by the then-ruling coalition, led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which describes itself as left-of-centre.

Confusing, isn't it?

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Tags: left, right, GERB, tax, income, flat, Bulgarian Socialist Party, political studies

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