NRA Checks Prices After Euro Adoption: Violations in Over 10% of Establishments

Fiscal inspectors from the National Revenue Agency (NRA) have inspected 13,507 commercial establishments to determine whether there has been an unjustified increase in the prices of goods after the introduction of the euro in our country, the press center of the revenue agency reports.

The highest number among the inspected establishments are food stores - over 3,200, as well as restaurants and catering establishments - around 1,500 establishments. For the violations found so far, the NRA inspectors have issued more than 1,000 acts and nearly 400 penalty decrees with a total value of almost 960,000 euros.

The presence of an unjustified increase in prices has been established in 10 percent of the inspected grocery stores, for which 332 acts for establishing a violation have been drawn up, and in 15 percent of the inspected catering establishments, restaurants and drinking establishments, which is objectified in 194 acts for establishing a violation.

During the control actions, it was also established that over 700 traders issued a cash receipt that did not meet the regulatory requirements, namely, it should indicate the total amount of the purchase in euros and leva, as well as the fixed exchange rate of the BNB of the leva against the euro, the revenue agency points out.

The institution clarifies that from the beginning of April, the NRA is starting massive checks again in food stores for compliance with the Law on the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria, and the fiscal inspectors will also check the price of traditional food products for Easter - eggs, kozunak (Bulgarian sweet bread), lamb meat and others. The teams will request documents of origin of the goods, data related to suppliers, delivery and selling prices, delivered and sold quantity, delivery dates, turnover, expenses and others.

According to the Law on the Introduction of the Euro in our country, during the period of dual labeling, traders who offer goods and services to consumers must form their prices in good faith and transparently, and any increase in prices should be justified by objective economic factors. Traders are obliged, upon request, to present to the control authorities evidence of the existence of objective economic factors.