“This is the most populist transition government in Bulgaria.” This was said to BNR by Nikolay Vassilev, former Minister of Economy.
He was adamant that he did not support anything of the budget policy of the government of Kiril Petkov:
“At a very high speed, we got to the point where we spent half of the fiscal reserve in a month and we were left with about BGN 250 million above the inviolable reserve, which is the expenses of the state for one working day ahead. … One has to think about one term ahead, and if the Ministry of Finance can’t plan for one day ahead, I don’t know what to think. “
According to Vassilev, the government encourages people’s expectations that the costs of support and subsidies will increase:
“This is a policy that has been tested in Bulgaria during the Viden winter, tested in Venezuela and always the end result is the same.. That is why I do not support this government’s budget policy and budget forecast. …
Now every year we will take as much debt as the state found after the Triple Coalition, ie. all crises accumulated before.
Looking at this budget, it is much more generous and spending than Videnov’s budget at the time, which was the most generous budget in the history of Bulgaria.. And I can’t understand how this government with about BGN 69 billion this year is not enough money. This is poor governance and a lack of vision. “
According to Nikolay Vassilev, the government “believes that the bigger the budget expenditures, the bigger the deficits and the bigger the debts and the more budget updates are made every year, the better, and the end is the same”.
Like “huge nonsense or big mistake” determined the former Minister of Economy as planned by Asen Vassilev there will be no increase in the minimum wage until the end of the term of office:
“This will not happen and this year the minimum wage will be adjusted, as in all the years after. Why they write like that in the forecast – I have no idea. That’s a mistake for me. “
Vassilev set indirectly a question to the Minister of Finance for BGN 9 billion spent by the government at the end of 2021by asking what they were given for.
Former Minister of Economy reproached the government for not having any economic policy and no idea how to attract Bulgarian and foreign investmentshow to help business:
“All the rhetoric is left-wing populist and it’s anti-business.”
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