Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) has announced the nominations for the Sixth “Business to the rules” Awards. This year’s ceremony will take place on July 1st. The prizes of the most representative employer organization in Bulgaria are awarded in three categories – “For legislation or administrative practice that lead to limiting the informal economy and improving the business environment”, “For a person or organization that contributed to curbing and preventing the informal economy through an active position “and” For a journalist or media contributing to changing public attitudes towards intolerance to the informal economy. “

In the category “For a regulatory act or administrative practice that results in limiting the informal economy and improving the business environment”, the following are distinguished:

• National Revenue Agency – for conducting two successful campaigns – a control campaign against large cash companies that limits gray practices and for Pay in Envelope, which effectively reduces the risk of unfair competition by hiding part of their salaries;
• Ministry of Tourism – for the creation of a Unified System for Tourist Information (ETI), by which it guarantees a higher collection of revenues from taxes and fees related to tourism;
• The Committee on Legal Affairs of the 44th National Assembly – on the amendments to the Criminal Code voted to criminalize the distribution and holding of excise goods without a parcel;
• Member of the Parliament Hristian Mitev – for the tabled amendment to Art. 37, para. 2 of the Accounting Act, which reduced the administrative and financial burdens on small businesses.

“For a person or organization that contributed to the restriction and prevention of the informal economy through an active position” are nominated:

• Director of the Risk Management Directorate at the National Revenue Agency Nikolay Petkov – for his overall work on the introduction of a model for risk management from non-compliance with tax and social security legislation;
• Director of the Copyright and Related Rights Directorate at the Ministry of Culture, Mehti Melikov – for a successful policy in covering the gray sector in the market for television broadcasting;
• Institute for Market Economics – for an active position regarding overcoming imbalances in the country’s economy and preventing gray economic practices;
• EA “General Labor Inspectorate” – for efforts to update the system for online submission, registration and reporting of templates of contracts of employment for short-term seasonal agricultural work in a timely manner.

In the third category, “For Journalist or Media Contributing to Changing Public Attitudes to Intolerance to the Informal Economy,” the distinction will be competing:

• Nova TV journalist Georgi Georgiev;
• Deutsche Welle’s Bulgarian edition;
• The presenters of Bloomberg TV Bulgaria’s Business Start program are Zhivka Popanasova and Hristo Nikolov;
• BTV reporter Nelly Todorova.

The purpose of the annual competition is to highlight examples of success in the fight against the informal economy and to distinguish leading institutions and individuals with an active position and contribution to curbing the informal economy. The awards are part of BICA’s overall work to increase public intolerance of the informal economy, encourage active action in this direction, and promote the constructive role of business in society to improve the socio-economic environment.

The nominations for the awards were made through a broad public consultation among the members of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, all social partners, members of the Public Council for Restriction and Prevention of the Informal Economy, comprising representatives of a number of state institutions, and the media. The winners will be cast by secret ballot from a large expert jury consisting of 100 distinguished personalities: prominent economists, public figures, media representatives, members of the BICA’s National and Control Council, the Public Council for the Restriction and Prevention of the Informal Economy, etc.