Bulgaria Loses BGN 600 M per Year from Cigarettes Contraband

Over 30% of the cigarettes sold in Bulgaria are from contraband, according to unofficial data. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's state budget loses about BGN 600 M per year from the contraband of cigarettes.

This becomes clear from data of the state-owned tobacco monopoly Bulgartabac cited by the 24 Chasa Daily, which also notes that according to unofficial data over 30% of all cigarettes sold in Bulgaria in the recent months have come from smuggling.

Thus, Bulgarian-made cigarettes that are supposed to be exported to Togo, Benin, Costa Rica, and Japan under their documentation, are still sold in Bulgaria but for BGN 2,80 per pack instead of the official price of BGN 3,40 per pack.