AOBE: Business Will Not Support Bulgaria’s Draft 2026 Budget

The Association of the Organizations of Bulgarian Employers (AOBE), which unites the four nationally represented employer organisations—the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the Bulgarian Trade and Industrial Chamber (BTIC), and the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIB)—officially presented its position on the draft State Budget, the Social Security Budget, and the National Health Insurance Fund Budget for 2026.

In its statement, AOBE said it does not support the proposed 2026 State Budget, arguing that it “deviates from the previously stated commitment to maintain Bulgaria’s tax and social security model.”

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Business representatives voiced their opposition to the planned 2-percentage-point increase in social security contributions, which would translate into more than a 10% rise in pension fund expenditures, as well as the doubling of the dividend tax. According to AOBE, these measures would extract additional resources from the real sector, discourage investment, slow economic growth, and expand the shadow economy.

The organisation also sharply criticised the lack of meaningful public debate over the draft budget and announced that it will not take part in the meeting of the National Tripartite Cooperation Council scheduled for 13 November.

"We do not accept being participants in a process that substitutes social dialogue with a formal discussion of the most important law in the country," the statement reads. Employers described the consultations on the draft budget as “a simulation of debate,” lacking statesmanship and responsibility.

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AOBE will not legitimise such a decision. Our responsibility is to safeguard the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy, not to participate in a process that ignores reforms and perpetuates inefficient spending,” the organisation added.

In conclusion, the employers' organisations expressed their readiness for “a genuine dialogue with sufficient timeframes, transparency, and impact assessment.”