site.btaYes, Bulgaria Demands Withdrawal and Revising of Budget, with Arguments Similar to Employers

Yes, Bulgaria demanded the withdrawal and revising of the budget, with arguments similar to those of employer organizations, Martin Dimitrov from the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) parliamentary group said. Together with the co-chairs of Yes, Bulgaria, Bozhidar Bozhanov and Ivaylo Mirchev, he commented on the 2026 draft budget, in the parliamentary lobby on Thursday.

Social security contributions should not rise because this will affect every working Bulgarian in the country and will reduce economic growth, instead there should be increased revenue collection, Dimitrov said. 

The increase in the maximum social security contributions should be halved and the introduction of state-approved software in all commercial establishments from January 1, 2026, should be dropped, are among Yes, Bulgaria’s demands.

They also insist that the additional debt of BGN 5 billion, which will finance the deficit, should be abolished. "Dividend tax must not increase. Higher taxes will reduce the grey economy," Dimitrov said, describing the increase as "schizophrenic".

“It is important to do this, otherwise we are heading for catastrophe,” the MP added. The measures are necessary because they would preserve Bulgaria’s growth and prevent the country from "sliding into extreme leftism".

“The measures we sent to Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova are not just aimed at limiting inefficient spending, most of them are aimed at limiting corruption and wasteful spending,” Bozhidar Bozhanov said.

Regarding the claim that former foreign minister Mariya Gabriel had talks with the UK about the removal of Bulgarian nationals from the British global anti-corruption sanctions list, as well as Wednesday's statement by GERB leader Boyko Borissov, who said that he had personally negotiated with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron to have the sanctions lifted, Bozhidar Bozhanov pointed out that "we are not talking nonsense, unlike Borissov." "The British Embassy refuted Borissov the moment he came out and lied. If our information had not been correct, they would have refuted us too. There is a difference between negotiations with David Cameron and official correspondence between institutions."

The co-chair of Yes, Bulgaria, Ivaylo Mirchev, also commented on Boyko Borissov's statement.

"[Yes, Bulgaria former chair] Hristo Ivanov told the truth about relations at that time, and the British Embassy delivered the second slap in the face," Mirchev said. According to him, it is important for Bulgaria to take an interest in what the documents on sanctions contain. "A very small part of it concerns passports, while the main part is about serious corruption practices," the MP believes.

Regarding the government's decision to propose to the National Assembly the election of Denyo Denev as Chair of the State Agency for National Security, Mirchev said that he is "a discredited person who cannot take the post”. Mirchev also made a prediction: "The State Agency Technical Operations and the State Intelligence Agency will be next, because there is some resistance to Delyan Peevski there," he said.

Asked about the temporarily suspended by the European Commission EUR 215 million from Bulgaria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, Mirchev said that if the reform of the Commission for Anti-Corruption and Illegal Assets Forfeiture remains unfulfilled and the draft law is not passed, Bulgaria will lose the money.