The Future for Tourism Association (FTA) expressed concerns that the National Revenue Agency (NRA) has changed the conditions for applying for State financial aid under programmes in support of SMEs affected by the anti-epidemic measures. According to FTA, the changes to the terms and conditions are made almost a year after the funds have been allocated, absorbed and accounted, and the NRA has started auditing tour operators and travel agents who have already benefited from the programme. That is why the FTA insists on a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev.
The letters the NRA has sent to the audited companies state that inconsistencies have been established in their applications and demand additional documents and declarations. If that is really the case, it remains unclear why these inconsistencies were not established during the initial application process, the FTA argues. "We are left with the impression that once again businesses will have to suffer from the administration's poor performance. The two measures were supposed to help the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic companies, which are facing difficulties as it is," FTA head Pavlina Ilieva said.
In addition to the fact that circumstances are currently being investigated that were supposed to be checked during the application process, we are concerned to find out that during the check, without any legal grounds, the NRA is changing the conditions for applying, for forming the reference period, based on which the grant aid was calculated, as well as the permissible expenditures for which the aid can be used," Dimitar Baltov of FTA said.
Ilieva and Baltov recalled that a number of consultations, meetings and trainings were conducted together with the NRA in order to clear up any confusion about the terms and conditions for applying. The FTA warned back then that many of these terms and conditions are not logically well-founded, given the specifics of the accounting and reporting of tour operators' and travel agents' activities, which would be difficult to fit into a common framework with all other businesses.
Hundreds of tour operators and travel agents are faced with the huge risk of having to reimburse the aid they have received with interest, due to the changed terms and conditions and the short deadline provided for replying, the FTA explained.
The FTA will provide further details about the situation at a news conference at BTA's National Press Club on Wednesday.
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