Bulgaria Increases VAT Registration Threshold
The National Assembly decided to increase the minimum threshold of the taxable annual turnover for VAT registration from BGN 50,000 to BGN 100,000
The National Assembly decided to increase the minimum threshold of the taxable annual turnover for VAT registration from BGN 50,000 to BGN 100,000. The Parliament adopted at second reading amendments to the Value Added Tax Act, submitted by Martin Dimitrov from Democratic Bulgaria and a group of MPs.
The National Assembly decided that the amendments to the Act would enter into force on the first day of the month following the entry into force of a decision of the Council of the European Union authorising Bulgaria to introduce a special measure derogating from the common system of the value added tax, but not before 1 January 2023. “The increase of the threshold also affects self‑employed persons”, Martin Dimitrov explained.
The Parliament decided that from 1 January 2023, parents will be able to use a sick day to care for healthy children up to the age of 12, that have been quarantined. The National Assembly adopted at first and second reading the amendments to the Health Act, submitted by Silvi Kirilov (There is Such a People) and a group of MPs, including MPs from We Continue the Change.
The bill aims to fill the existing legislative gap in the Health Act, respectively in the Labour Code and the Social Security Code, in terms of temporary incapacity to care for a healthy child put under quarantine. The sponsors note that under the legislation “childcare facility” refers to children up to the age of 7. Thus, schools do not fall within the scope, which makes it impossible for parents of children up to 12 years of age to use sick leave for healthy children put under quarantine. The sponsors explained that according to the Child Protection Act, children cannot be left unattended until the age of 12. It is therefore proposed to include schools in the additional provisions of the Health Act.
The National Assembly adopted at first reading amendments to the Judiciary System Act, submitted by the Council of Ministers. The draft act provides that the European Delegated Prosecutors shall be assigned to an independent organisational structure of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria. For this purpose, an act of the Council of Ministers provides the Supreme Judicial Council with an appropriate building for providing independent structures and administration, and the necessary funds will be provided from the budget of the judiciary. It is proposed that the administrative functions of a director be carried out by a European Delegated Prosecutor, authorised by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, whose administrative functions shall be limited to the recruitment of employees and the operation with funds.
The bill specifies the rules for the appointment of candidates from Bulgaria to the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) and establishes guarantees for a clear and transparent procedure.
Changes to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Special Intelligence Means Act further develop the procedures for requesting, authorizing and applying special intelligence means from the European Prosecutor and the European Delegated Prosecutors, as well as the use of the data and substantive evidence collected through them.
The Parliament adopted at first reading amendments to the Gambling Act proposed by Lyubomir Karimanski, Iva Miteva and Andrey Mihaylov from There is Such a People. The amendments broaden the scope of gambling games organized by the state-owned enterprise DP Bulgarian Sports Totalizator to include games with betting on random events and betting related to fact‑knowledge. “The expansion of the portfolio will lead to more funds for physical education, sports and culture, as well as for maintenance, repair or construction of new sports facilities in state and municipal schools”, the sponsors said in their motives. According to them, the change will also lead to the optimisation of the financial performance of the state-owned enterprise.
The bill regulates that the organization of gambling games by the Totalizator will be carried out through betting facilities and through self-service devices. The amendments provide that the total number of facilities may not exceed 3,000 on the territory of the country.