site.btaNational Revenue Agency, Consumer Protection Commission Carries Out Inspections on Commercial Establishment in Plovdiv

On Saturday, officials from the National Revenue Agency (NRA) and the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) inspected commercial establishments in Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, for proper implementation and compliance with the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, as well as for unjustified increases in the prices of goods. Inspectors checked a grocery store that is about to be issued a fine for excessive price increases on several goods, which was established during a previous inspection, CPC acting Chair Aleksander Kolyachev said. 

During Saturday's inspection of the store, the current prices of these and other goods were again recorded, and it remains to be determined whether they have been adjusted. The penalty to be imposed on the store for a first offense can range from the euro equivalent of BGN 5,000 to BGN 100,000.

Kolyachev said that since the beginning of the year, the CPC has not received any reports of excessive price increases. "Most of the reports are about the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator not accepting leva. But the sports betting company has stated that they are operating in accordance with the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria Act. In the last few days of the year, we received quite a few reports about coins not being accepted. Since January 1, we have had reports of unwillingness to give change in euros and similar reports," said the CPC acting Chair.

"We have imposed numerous sanctions regarding price labeling because we conduct regular inspections for dual pricing. I believe there have been over 4,000 inspections to date. Approximately 5% of these inspections result in penalties. We have also issued acts and penalties for excessively high prices," Kolyachev added.

The NRA pointed out that if there are any price increases, the trader must submit the relevant documents within seven days to explain the reason for the higher price. "Some of the goods arrive with a markup at the respective merchant. We investigate the chain to determine where this violation originated and, if it is found to be economically unjustified, sanctions are imposed on those who have raised the prices," explained NRA Communications Directorate Director Anna Mitova. 

She added that, since October last year, 69 acts and 9 penalty orders have been imposed in the country, with 6 acts in the Plovdiv Region. Mitova was unable to specify the most common violations found after inspections, as the data has not been summarized at this stage.