Bulgaria's municipalities want €650m more from the 2027 state budget, Silvia Georgieva, executive director of the National Association of Municipalities (NAMRB), told BNT. That is a rise of 13.2% on this year.
"An extra 650 million euro is in fact the minimum we need to keep running in 2027," Georgieva said. The association says that with this money alone, municipalities can keep working and keep their services at the same quality.
NAMRB sent its figures to the finance ministry on 4 September, and municipalities are now negotiating the budget with the ministry. Georgieva spoke from the Albena resort, where the annual meeting of Bulgarian municipalities is taking place. Today, 12 October, is Bulgarian Municipality and Local Self-Government Day. She congratulated mayors, councillors and council staff.
Georgieva said the percentages were worked out carefully. They include inflation, the rise in the minimum wage and the sharp jump in fuel prices after the escalation around the Strait of Hormuz and the crisis in Iran. The figures use the minimum wage announced so far, €660 a month. Pay costs make up no more than 5% of municipalities' total budgets in any calendar year.
Georgieva said heating and upkeep of schools, kindergartens and social services depend heavily on fuel and food prices.
She also said municipalities have always been responsible and balanced in their requests to the finance ministry. They do not go into talks looking to haggle or make excessive demands, she said. The ministry usually shows understanding, she said, because their figures are accurate.
In the interview Georgieva also spoke about the property tax. The government has put out a tax package for public consultation that would raise the base for the property tax in 2027 by 30%. The package is still a draft. Parliament is expected to debate it in November. After that, municipal councils will make their own decisions, including on the rate per mille, which is the rate used to calculate the tax.
In some places, tax valuations have not been updated for more than 15 years, and the 30% rise will apply there. If an owner pays €60 a year in tax, the bill will go up by about €15 for the whole of 2027, unless the municipal council cuts the rate.
The household waste fee is separate from the property tax. In municipalities where it is still calculated from a property's tax valuation, the draft says it would be based on this year's valuations. In practice, this means the fee will not jump by 30% next year.
Georgieva considers updating the tax valuations absolutely necessary and said the association is happy with the tax package. She said how high the property tax will be is a matter for local decisions. The councils in the 265 municipalities will decide based on local social and economic conditions.
She said that in some places rates will probably be cut so that people do not pay a higher tax. "The money we would get from the higher property tax will be invested in everything beyond our own doorstep," Georgieva said.
Burgas council submitted a 2026 budget of €356.5m to the municipal council in September. Of this, €143.66m was for activities delegated by the state, and education was the biggest item among them at €115.22m.
She added that higher own revenues also bring more responsibility for mayors and municipal councils. She said people increasingly expect a better environment and better places to live.