Bulgarian taxis are currently unable to issue receipts showing amounts in both leva and euros due to outdated equipment and a lack of regulatory clarity. This was made clear by the chairman of the National Taxi Union, Krasimir Tsvetkov, in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio.
According to Tsvetkov, the devices used by taxi drivers – commonly referred to as taximeters – have long-outdated certificates and are no longer officially registered. He explained that the regulatory framework governing these devices is essentially nonexistent. “These devices are not registered anywhere in the entire universe and we have fallen into a vacuum,” he said, underlining the absurdity of the situation.7
Tsvetkov added that no legal text specifically mandates what kind of devices taxis should use. Previously, these devices were classified as fiscal equipment. However, a legal amendment reclassified them as electronic taximeters. That small technical shift, he argued, gave the National Revenue Agency (NRA) a pretext to exclude them from oversight and standardization. “The NRA should say what it is. The working group says: ‘We really, really don’t want to deal with taxis,'” Tsvetkov remarked, pointing to a broader institutional unwillingness to address the issue.
Under the recently adopted Law on the Introduction of the Euro, there is no obligation for taximeters or fuel pumps to display amounts in both currencies. Nevertheless, the law does specify what elements must appear on a receipt issued by a cash register.
Tsvetkov noted that, unlike taxis, gas stations will be able to issue receipts or invoices that show both leva and euro values. Taxis, however, will not, due to the outdated and uncertified status of their devices.
Tsvetkov appealed to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport to clarify the legal position of taxi equipment as soon as possible. He warned that failure to resolve the matter could result in serious financial penalties for drivers, saying, “The sanctions are not small at all.”