Bulgaria - rightist SDS party - each EU state should set own excise duties..

SDS party logo..








January 14, 2011 - Bulgaria and all other European Union (EU) states should be completely free to decide their excise duties for tobacco, alcohol and energy, according to the Bulgarian rightist SDS party (Union of Democratic Forces). "Bulgaria's government should consider bringing up the proposal for the abolishment of the excise duties' minimum rates in EU," was the party's official position, expressed on Tuesday, January 11, 2011.

Background: the European Council, the institution of the European Union (EU) responsible for defining the general political direction and priorities of the Union) om Tuesday, February 16, 2010 adopted a directive updating EU rules on the structure and rates of excise duties on cigarettes and other tobacco products (17778/09 + 5807/10). The directive is intended to ensure a higher level of public health protection by raising minimum excise duties on cigarettes, whilst bringing the minimum rates for fine-cut tobacco gradually into line with those for cigarettes. (European Council Updates Excise Duties On Cigarettes And Tobacco Products..)

Martin Dimitrov, leader of SDS, has stated: "Bulgaria should unite with all other Central and Eastern European states against the minimum rates. Otherwise, EU will lag behind the rest of the civilized world." He pointed out that the impoverished countries on EU's external border are currently suffering from vast smuggling due to the partial restrictions imposed on duty rates. "The average salary in Germany is 5 times bigger than Bulgaria's, therefore the excise duty rates should be 5 times lower than Germany's," according to Dimitrov.

Dimitrov's SDS party is a part of the Bulgarian rightist Blue Coalition, which initially supported the country's ruling centrist GERB (Citizens For European Development of Bulgaria) government, but has grown increasingly critical towards it.

Although there is no full harmonization of the excise duty rates throughout the European Union has not been established be the Council of Ministers for the Internal Market, a series of minimum rates were agreed. Above these minimum rates Member States retain sovereignty to set excise duty rates at levels they consider appropriate according to their own national circumstances.

Reference: Bulgarian Rightists: Each EU State Should Set Own Excise Duties, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), 1/11/2011.

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