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2 clusters · 11 sources · 7 days · First seen · Last updated

Bulgarian homemade alcohol regulation controversy

Overview

Bulgarian officials have addressed public and political backlash regarding proposed amendments to the Excise Act and Tax Warehouses Act. The controversy centers on regulations that restrict the possession of homemade brandy to the producer and their immediate family, leading to fears that citizens could face fines of up to 1,000 euros for receiving homemade alcohol as gifts.

Finance Minister Galiub Donev defended the measures, stating the primary goal is to curb the illegal commercial trade of homemade alcohol in venues like hotels and restaurants. He noted that the Customs Agency has already seized 15,000 liters of such alcohol intended for commercial sale this year.

Following these concerns, Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Parliament Ivan Angelov also clarified the government's position. He dismissed claims of massive fines for personal possession, asserting that serious sanctions would instead target those holding large quantities of undocumented alcohol intended for illegal resale. Angelov emphasized that the state aims to target speculation and illegal trade rather than penalizing traditional domestic production for personal use.

Entities

Democratic Bulgaria · Boyar Bozhanov · Dimitar Radev · Ivan Angelov · Galiub Donev

Timeline

  1. [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Bulgaria's Ivan Angelov denies fines for homemade rakia

    Bulgarian Deputy Parliament Chairman Ivan Angelov clarified that new regulations target illegal alcohol trade, not personal homemade rakia, denying rumors of heavy fines for citizens.

  2. [POLITICS] 11 sources
    Bulgaria Finance Minister defends excise law changes regarding homemade brandy

    Bulgarian Finance Minister Galiub Donev defended proposed excise law changes aimed at stopping illegal alcohol trade, amid criticism that the rules could penalize citizens for possessing gifted homemade brandy.

Sources

burgas24.bg · clubz.bg · infobusiness.bcci.bg · netnews.bg · pbnovini.com · petel.bg · plovdiv24.bg · ruse.news · standartnews.com · vesti.bg · zonanews.bg