The state should introduce the legal tip amount in restaurants to be 10 percent. This was proposed by the head of the Bulgarian Association of Restaurants, Richard Alibegov. That's how we earn money from tips, so tax can be collected, he added. A few days ago, there was a proposal to introduce a 1 percent tax for tips in restaurants, "24Casa" reported. Mr.

"Abroad, there is a practice in restaurants to add a tip to the bill. Then they can be taxed. When the state legally requires everyone who enters the facilities to tip 10 percent - then it is possible," said Alibegov.

However, according to him, tipping should be legalized but not taxed.

"In Bulgaria, tipping is considered theft. You pay BGN 60 with a card in a restaurant – you are satisfied with the service staff and want to leave BGN 10. We issue you a fiscal bill for your consumption for BGN 50, and a note of BGN 60 comes out of the device you use for payment. The tax administration considers that these 10 BGN are unrealized sales and theft from the treasury, and the building should be sealed for 30 days," he specified.

Alibegov added that the agency's inspectors have the right to check the available turnover of each waiter.

"If the waiter has a turnover of 500 leva according to availability in the cash terminal, and they find 560 leva in his pocket. Then the restaurant can be fined up to BGN 2.000," said the president of the Bulgarian Association of Restaurants.