As a response to the unfavorable initial proposals of the Ministry of Finance for amendments of tax laws, concerning the tax regime for donations, we and a group of non-profit organizations, including Bulgarian Donors’ Forum, Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum, Programme and Analytical Centre for European Law, Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation, Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation, The Red House Center for Culture and Debate, Caritas – Bulgaria, initiated at the end of October a Campaign for keeping the tax benefits for donations. The Campaign aims at convincing the government to keep the tax benefits, stipulated by the Law for the Taxes over Income of Physical Persons, the Law for Income Tax Levying and the Law for the Local Taxes and Fees.

During the campaign were sent statements to members of the Bulgarian and the European Parliament, ministers and the Prime – minister. We organized and continue to organize meetings with media and the state institutions. Support was received by the European Foundation Center as well.

An important and an integral part of the campaign continue to be the open online petition: http://www.bgpetition.com/zapazvane-na-danuchnite-oblekchenia-za-darenia/index.html , where citizens can give their contribution to the successful end of the campaign as undersign it, as well as the email support from non-profit organizations. Till now 670 citizens and over 130 organizations from all of Bulgaria had given their support.

Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law expresses its gratitude to all who helped for the positive development of the campaign. As a result from our mutual efforts, timely reaction, organization and media support, we succeeded in changing the initial proposals of the Ministry of Finance, so that the draft amendments put forward in the Parliament by the Council of Ministries stipulate not only keeping the current tax regime for donations and donors to Bulgarian NGOs in public benefit, but “opens” it for foreign organizations as it is the practice in most of the European countries.