Ukraine Launches Campaign to Bring Back Refugees from Germany Amid Population Crisis
Ukraine is facing a severe population decline due to the ongoing war, with nearly half of its citizens now living abroad
Bulgaria's tax authorities will find it difficult to bring to justice those tax evaders, who hold about EUR 200 M in Swiss banks as revealed by a stolen disk of Swiss banking data bought by Germany, a financial expert claims.
“The names of the people with Swiss accounts who may have evaded taxation will hardly be revealed so that the tax authorities here are able to press them with questions about the origin of the money and the unpaid taxes,” former Deputy Finance Minister and tax expert Atanas Katsarchev, told the Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday.
Earlier in the week the Bulgaria's revenue agency chief said a stolen disk of Swiss banking data bought by Germany has revealed that Bulgarian tax evaders held about EUR 200 M in banks in Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Krasimir Stefanov arrived in the German capital Friday to consult the stolen disc containing the names of 1,500 Swiss account holders who may have defrauded their country's tax authorities.
Germany had agreed to share the data with Bulgaria, Stefanov said, adding that on his return he would consult the Bulgarian finance ministry on further steps to be taken against tax cheats.
According to Katsarchev it is much more important that Switzerland has no intention to confirm information about bank accounts, provided that its sources are not legitimate.
“Here we are talking about a stolen disk,” Katsarchev said, describing the move as “pure propaganda” and “a preventive measure”.
“When the tax authorities announce such steps a certain number of people react to this and go to declared their incomes,” he said.
About a dozen alleged tax fraudsters had already asked if they could voluntarily turn themselves in, according to local media reports.
The government is yet to decide whether it would allow these people to pay their taxes and avoid other sanctions. Otherwise they face up to eight years in jail.
Bulgaria has the lowest minimum wage among the European Union member states as of January 2025, standing at 551 euros
Since being created as a joke cryptocurrency , Dogecoin has become a popular cryptocurrency with an active community of developers, traders, and investors.
Economists have urged Bulgaria’s leadership to submit an application to the European Commission and the European Central Bank for an extraordinary convergence report on joining the eurozone
Representatives of Bulgaria’s ruling coalition have once again highlighted a significant deficit in the state budget, with Stanislav Balabanov from "There Is Such a People" (TISP) stating that 2025 will be a transitional year regarding the eurozone
Valeri Belchev, former acting Minister of Finance, recently expressed strong concerns about Bulgaria's financial management, particularly focusing on the lack of proper budget management tools
Kalin Hristov, former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank and former finance minister, expressed concern over the public discourse on key economic issues
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability