The Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association /BHRA/ came out with a sharp position on the government’s measures in support of business. According to them, they are inefficient, ineffective and insufficient.
The association sharply criticized the cabinet, saying no anti-crisis action had been taken in recent months.
The BHRA advised ministers, politicians and officials to live on BGN 24 a day – this is the state aid that the government so loudly boasts about. However, the industry pointed out that currently the minimum insurance threshold for the sector is BGN 800 and thus the 80/20 measure was more effective because people received BGN 640 each, which is more than currently provided. In addition, there are people in the industry who are insured for BGN 2,800. That is why it is more profitable for them to lose their jobs than to receive BGN 24 per day.
Another problem is that this support is valid only as long as the establishments are closed. But not enough help is provided for self-employed people and nightclub staff.
In the public space it is said that the state will compensate the business with 15-20% of the turnover, but according to him this is also extremely insufficient, because the sector has not been working normally for 9 months.
Industry representatives are demanding that the government cover 90 to 100 percent of employees’ salaries and social security contributions. Otherwise, they predict mass bankruptcies and mass layoffs.
