The Customs Agency has reported a historic success in budget revenues, achieving its highest monthly intake of nearly 1 billion euros in August 2026. Preliminary data published by the Agency today cover collections from excise duties, import VAT, and customs duties, confirming that the result of 965.6 million euros is unprecedented in the institution's history.
The record-breaking achievement in August is a logical continuation of the strong results reported in June and July, which also reached levels never before attained for those months. Statistics for 2026 show that every summer month has marked higher efficiency compared to the corresponding periods of previous years.
The scale of growth is significant: revenues collected in August are 211 million euros (28 percent) higher than those in July and 372.2 million euros (62.7 percent) above the amounts received in August 2025. For the period from January 1 to August 31, 2026, the total amount collected by the Customs Agency reached 5.518 billion euros, representing an excess of 839 million euros (17.9 percent) compared to the same stage last year.
The data reveal a direct link between management changes and financial results:
- Nearly 90 percent (89.7 percent) of the accumulated growth from the beginning of the year to date is due to revenue realized within the last three and a half months.
- The period coincides with the taking of office by the regular government and the change in the leadership of the Customs Agency in mid-May.
- For the period from May 18 to August 31, 2026, 2.583 billion euros in revenue were generated, which is 752.9 million euros (41.1 percent) more compared to the comparable period of 2025.
Improved performance is evident across all types of revenue, with growth in excise duties being the leader in absolute value, followed by import VAT and customs duties. In parallel, a positive trend is observed in the discipline of taxpayers: by the end of August, settled overdue excise liabilities exceeded newly established ones by 3.5 million euros.
The focus on high collection rates was established at the very beginning of the mandate. After the handover ceremony at the Ministry of Finance in May, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Galab Donev identified revenue control as a priority. "In the revenue administrations, we will implement full control and digitalization of the oversight of the NRA and the Customs Agency, so that every single piece of revenue can be monitored in real time. There will be no tolerance for inspections for some tax subjects while others enjoy a tax holiday without checks," he emphasized at the time.