site.btaEmployers Back Transport Industry's Grievances

Five national employer associations Wednesday sent BTA a proclamation in support of what they call "just demands" of the transport industry. The document was signed by the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association, the Bulgarian Industrial Association, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, and the Union for Private Economic Enterprise.

The demands raised by carriers and supported by the proclamation include reducing the excise duty on fuel by 50% for at least six months, lifting the bio-additive in fuel prices, postponing the planned expansion of the toll tax system, restoring the dialogue between the carriers and the Executive, fully compensating the industry for the preferential ticket fares paid by pupils, pensioners, and other eligible groups.

The employers are positive that implementing these measures is essential not just for saving the transport industry but also the Bulgarian economy as a whole.

The toll system expansion and the high energy and fuel prices will inevitably lead to higher transport services prices and worse competitive environment. These factors combined with the failing supply chains and growing inflation threaten the Bulgarian economy, says the document. It also calls for the government to act with sensibility and responsibility when handling "the tough conditions and even tougher prospects facing most of the companies in the country" while trying to solve to the ongoing crisis.