SOFIA, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Senior representatives of the Bulgarian government and business on Wednesday expressed hope that their country could curb the illegal trade in fuels to increase budget revenues.
Effective fight against the shadow economy would pour more money into the budget, Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said at a press conference.
The government has been making great efforts, inspections have been carried out, but the fight was not easy, Petkova said.
Valentin Zlatev, Chairman of the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association, said in turn that according to the Ministry of Finance, the share of the gray sector in trade in fuels in Bulgaria was 30 percent or even more. "I think it is slightly higher, about 40 percent," Zlatev said.
The purpose of the new law was to create the right fuel trading mechanism, Zlatev said.
The adoption of the law on fuel, which would soon be tabled in the National Assembly, was a good step in that direction, he said.
According to data from the Minster of Finance, last year the National Revenue Agency carried out 27,677 inspections on warehouses and gas stations, and found 9,032 administrative violations.
