Bulgaria's Finance Minister "Received Threats over Duty Free Shops Closures"

Politics | May 22, 2003, Thursday // 00:00

The threats that Bulgaria's Finance Minister Milen Velchev claimed to have received were inspired by the suspension of some duty free shops he has ordered. This is what Velchev himself stated in an interview for local Info radio on Thursday.

The minister denied allegations that he is intervening in the duty free trade so that his cronies could monopolize the sector.

Velchev explained that Bulgaria loses over BGN 50 M of taxes per year because of duty free trade.

The suspension of free duty shops, which will be closed outside duty free zones, comes as one of the measures to combat contraband and shadow economy presented by Velchev and his team May 16.

The package includes the establishment of a bureau for fiscal investigation, a national revenue agency, and a centre for complaints and information to combat corruption within tax administration.
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