MUNICIPALITIES' SEPARATE REVENUES

In "265 Stories of Economy" we present the seprate revenues of the municipalities in Bulgaria. The map illustrates the collected revenues from local taxes and fees in 2019 on average per capita in each municipality.

In 2019, the total separate revenues collected by the municipalities are about BGN 2.4 billion, or an average of BGN 347 per capita. However, the differences are significant, as in 6 municipalities they exceed BGN 1,000 (Sozopol, Mirkovo, Nessebar, Primorsko, Chavdar and Chelopech), in another 29 they range from BGN 400 to BGN 1,000, and as many as 79 municipalities have their revenues up to BGN 200 per capita. The leading 25 municipalities do not include any regional center except the capital. Relatively high revenues from local taxes and fees are reported by relatively small municipalities with developed mining, energy and heavy industry, as well as those in which tourism plays a significant role in the regional economy.

At the same time, it should be emphasized that revenues also depend on the efficiency of the local revenue administration. The data on collection on average for the two main taxes - on real estate and vehicles - show that in 2019 in 67 municipalities the collection rate was between 60 and 70%, and in another 18 - below 60%. This group also includes a significant number of regional centers, as well as some municipalities with a population of over 20 thousand people with relatively good economic performance.