Bulgaria’s Health Ministry plans to introduce a new tax of 3-10% on unhealthy food products and energy drinks.

“The tax rate will be determined by the health risk, be it caused by salt, sugar, trans-fatty acids, or the amount of caffeine or taurin in drinks,” said Adam Persenski, Deputy Health Minister, as cited by Trud daily.

Persenski argued that the consumer prices would not go up by more than 10%.

He informed that the new tax was expected to allow the health sector to raise an additional BGN 150 M a year.

Asked to comment on the ongoing infringement procedure launched by the European Commission against Denmark over the tax on unhealthy food products, Persenski stated that Bulgaria was unlikely to take less than a year to introduce the new tax, meaning that the authorities would be able to take into account the decision on Denmark’s case.

Bulgaria’s Deputy Health Minister reminded that the EU had decided to leave healthcare to be governed by national law.