site.btaDraft Amendment on Homemade Rakia to Be Revised to Avoid Ambiguity, Finance Minister Says

During Question Time in Parliament on Friday, Finance Minister Galab Donev reiterated that his Ministry's proposal for amendments to the Excise and Tax Warehouses Act regarding the storage of homemade rakia (a traditional fruit brandy) aim to stop trade in homemade alcohol of unclear origin and quality. Donev said that the text, which last week sparked political and public debate over potential fines for home-distilled rakia, will be revised to prevent ambiguous interpretations and to avoid any uncertainty regarding the actions that regulatory authorities will take. 

Donev was taking a question by Democratic Bulgaria MP Bozhidar Bozhanov whether the controversial revisions would be withdrawn.

In Donev's words, no one ever intended to issue a fine for a bottle of rakia found in every Bulgarian home. The aim is to ban the sale of homemade rakia in commercial establishments, such as hair salons, guesthouses, restaurants, and auto repair shops - the types of establishments where the Customs Agency has discovered large quantities of undocumented alcohol, he specified.

"Given the need for the regulation to be understandable to both citizens and enforcement agencies, it will be clarified to rule out any possibility of interpretation suggesting that the proposed ban affects the traditional production and personal storage of homemade rakia by individuals," the Deputy Prime Minister said. Donev added that this will simultaneously ensure effective control over the unregulated trade in alcohol and protect citizens’ legal right to produce and store traditional homemade alcohol for personal and family use.