Sofia Mayor: Property Tax Changes Effective in 2012

The property tax campaign in Sofia is still on the table and will be carried out despite the issue with incorrectly calculated dues for part of the capital's residents.

The statement was made Monday in an interview for the private TV channel bTV by the Mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova, saying the new zoning, where the mistakes have been committed, involves only about 20% of the city's residents.

The scandal began when taxes for many of Sofia's residents went up without warning after the capital's zoning was altered.

On Sunday, the Deputy Mayor of the Sofia City Hall, Mincho Gerdzhikov, submitted his resignation, writing in it he felt personally responsible for the outrage.

Fandakova advises people in the problematic zones to verify the exact amount of their 2011 tax and if the difference with 2010 is not drastic, to pay it. She says property taxes in Sofia should stay at last year's level, with the exception of the "Banishora" district which had been placed in the wrong zone ten years ago.

The Mayor reiterated that people who have already paid the incorrectly calculated dues will receive a refund by the local tax office or the amount will be deducted from future payments.

Fandakova is yet to decide if she will accept Gerdzhikov's resignation and is waiting for the outcome of a probe in the matter she had ordered.

The new zoning will be effective in 2012 and will be done very precisely and people will be informed on time, the Mayor vowed.

The Mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova, vows the zoning changes in the capital and will be done very precisely and people will be informed on time. Photo by BGNES