Welcoming the mortal remains of Tsar Samuil is an event of exceptional importance for Bulgaria, which should unite the nation, regardless of political differences. He stated this on the air of "The Day Live with Nadelina Aneva" on NOVA NEWS, Sofia Deputy Mayor Georgi Klisurski, who is currently also a member of the initiative committee for the nomination of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev.
In a comment on the upcoming state ceremony, Klisurski described Tsar Samuil as one of the greatest Bulgarian rulers and emphasized the importance of historical memory for modern society.
“Tsar Samuil is one of the greatest Bulgarian kings, unfortunately, with a tragic fate, but an extremely heroic one, which should inspire all of us today. I am sure that this event will unite the nation“, he said.
According to him, the presence of the presidential candidates at the ceremony is not essential, as long as there is a general recognition of the importance of the event and its contribution to Bulgarian statehood. “It is not so important to me whether the presidential candidates are there, but certainly welcoming Tsar Samuil in Bulgaria should be recognized as a great success for Bulgarian statehood. We should all unite around this, regardless of whether we will be at the event itself tomorrow or not“, Klisurski pointed out.
He also commented on the role of the members of the initiative committee that nominated Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev. According to him, the composition of the committee shows what kind of people support the presidential candidate couple and what values they represent. “Bulgarian citizens can orient themselves by the members of the initiative committees. We know that in the initiative committee of Iliana Yotova there were over 10 people with State Security files. There are none in the initiative committee of Andrey Gyurov. First of all, a person can orient themselves which type of profile of the committee and its members they like more“, he said. In his words, the initiative committees also have a longer-term function, building a connection between candidates and society, which can continue after the elections.
As a former Finance Minister, Georgi Klisurski also commented on the proposals for changes in tax laws. According to him, the planned revenue measures should be considered against the backdrop of increasing expenses and the budget deficit. “If we look at the expenses towards the end of 2026, the deficit is 2.8 percent - very close to the 3% that is in principle a requirement. But it is actually half the 5.7% that the government set in the 2026 budget. This means that in 9 months they have made as much deficit as they now intend to have for the last 3 months“, Klisurski pointed out.
He defined the proposed changes related to the taxation of domestic brandy as an ineffective measure from which significant revenues are not expected in the state budget. “Regarding rakia, the measure rather shows desperation on the part of the government. There is no way to collect any significant revenues from such a measure. What is worse is that Bulgarian citizens pay, and unnecessarily“, he commented.
Klisurski also touched on the proposal to tax excess profits with a 33% corporate tax in certain sectors of the economy. According to him, this measure will also not provide the expected additional revenues to the treasury. “This may sound sensible at first reading as a revenue measure, but in fact the Ministry of Finance will not generate additional revenues“, said the former Finance Minister.
According to him, the proposed increase in real estate tax assessments by about 30% from next year will affect the amount of local taxes that property owners will pay. “All property tax assessments will be automatically recalculated by 30% upwards. So in March or April, when you have to pay the local tax for your apartment - building tax, you will actually have to pay a little more next year“, he explained. According to Klisurski, however, the increase will bring about 25 million euros in additional revenue to the Sofia Municipality budget. “About 25 million euros more will come to the Sofia Municipality budget thanks to this increased real estate tax. I want to emphasize again that this is not an initiative of the mayor or the Municipal Council, but truly a national policy of the government“, said Georgi Klisurski.