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30% higher tax assessments from 2027? What’s law, what’s a proposal — and why the “excess-profit” tax is not a tax on your Bansko apartment

Authors: Milena Kostadinova Yuleva, Yuliya MisyukPublished: 2 October 2026

The MF package of 23.09.2026 mixes two separate measures. Tax assessments are not yet law; the excess-profit tax is not a tax on selling your Bansko flat.

In late September 2026, news coverage often blends two different proposals from the Ministry of Finance (MF) package presented on 23.09.2026. TV lower-thirds can make it look as if “property taxes are already up 30%” and as if an “excess-profit” tax hits anyone who sells a flat. That is not the case.

This article separates law from draft, explains the coefficients without scare tactics, and shows why the excess-profit tax is not a tax on selling an apartment in Bansko or Razlog.

Important for 2026: the claim “you are already paying 30% higher taxes” is false. As of 30.09.2026, both measures are proposals — not an in-force law that raises tax assessments for the current year.

Two separate measures in one package

On 23 September 2026 the MF presented a tax-change package. It includes at least two items people often mix up:

1. Updating property tax assessments — a draft amending the Local Taxes and Fees Act (ZID ZMDT). 2. An excess-profit tax — a separate draft amending the Corporate Income Tax Act (ZID ZKPO), aimed at certain companies in listed sectors.

The first concerns the formula for the tax assessment of real estate. The second concerns a corporate tax on part of the profit of banks, insurers, large food retailers and others. They are not synonyms.

Tax assessments: not law yet

The ZMDT amending draft is published for public consultation on strategy.bg under number 12735-K. Comments are open until 23.10.2026. The draft’s target entry-into-force date is 1 January 2027 — if the text passes the Council of Ministers, the National Assembly and promulgation.

Until then, the current rules apply. Percentages, deadlines and formulas may change, or the draft may not be adopted. Legal explainers such as Pravatami stress the same point: a published draft ≠ an in-force law.

Coefficients versus the 2026 base

The draft proposes a phased update of base tax values (one element of the assessment formula), not “compound interest” on an already increased figure:

| Year | Coefficient vs 2026 base | Total vs today’s base | |------|--------------------------|------------------------| | 2027 | × 1.3 | +30% | | 2028 | × 1.65 | +65% | | 2029 onwards | × 2 | +100% |

For 2028 and 2029 the draft adds 35 percentage points to the original level, not 35% on top of the already increased assessment. That distinction matters: a compound-interest misreading exaggerates the effect.

Why the MF proposes an update

According to the draft motives, base tax values for buildings and land inside construction boundaries have largely been untouched since about 1997. Overall, assessments under the ZMDT annex have not been substantially updated since around 2008/2009 (in force from 2009 after earlier coefficient corrections). The stated aim is a gradual move toward a more current base, without a one-off shock.

What may rise — and what is explicitly not auto-raised

A higher tax assessment may affect:

Household waste fee (taksa smet): under the draft it should not rise automatically because of the new assessment. For waste-fee purposes the project keeps / adjusts back to the 2026 base (dividing by the relevant coefficient when the municipality still uses tax assessment as the base). The fee can still change for other municipal reasons — cost plan, waste volume, chosen method.

The bill is not “+30% on the tax” one-for-one

The tax assessment is not market price and is not the tax itself. The municipal council sets the rate within legal bands. Reliefs that the law allows still apply (for example primary-residence relief — which holiday / second homes in Bansko usually do not get).

Illustrative national example (not Bansko): Deputy Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova said that for an apartment of about 70–80 m² in Sofia the annual property tax is about €50–60, and the first +30% step would mean about +€15 per year (in her personal ~75 m² example, also about +€15). That is a Sofia illustration, not a forecast for a specific Bansko property. The exact amount depends on the assessment, the municipal rate and any reliefs.

For resort buyers and owners: before a deposit, ask for a written tax assessment and the current municipal rate, rather than extrapolating from TV captions. For net yield, maintenance fees and household electricity are often the heavier line items — a separate check worth doing before winter.

The “excess-profit” tax is not a tax on your apartment

The separate draft (ZID ZKPO) proposes a one-time tax for tax year 2027 on excess profit of certain enterprises:

This is not a capital-gains tax on a personal sale of an apartment. It is not a local tax on your Bansko floorspace. A foreign owner of a dwelling pays local property tax as an owner; the excess-profit tax would apply only if they have a company in the listed sectors that falls under the rule — not because they sell a studio near the ski zone.

National scope — no “Bansko exception”

Both measures are national. There is no planned exception for Bansko or Razlog municipality. Holiday and second homes usually do not qualify for primary-residence relief. That does not turn the “+30% shock” into a 2026 invoice — it makes checking documents and municipal rates more useful than rumours.

Short FAQ

Does this raise my Bansko tax in 2026? No. As of 30.09.2026 the higher-assessment draft is not law and does not introduce +30% for current year 2026. “Taxes are already 30% higher” is false.

Does the excess-profit tax apply when I sell my flat? Not as a tax on a personal dwelling sale. The measure is corporate, for listed sectors, one-time for 2027 (per the draft). Local acquisition tax and notary rules are a separate topic and depend on price/assessment and the municipal rate.

When would the assessment change? If the ZMDT draft is adopted and promulgated with the draft’s target date — from 1.01.2027, phased through 2027–2029. Watch the final State Gazette text and the municipality’s notice; public consultation runs until 23.10.2026 (strategy.bg №12735-K).

What to do before a deposit

1. Ask for a written tax assessment for the specific property and check the municipal council’s rate. 2. Split the cost picture: property tax, waste fee, maintenance fee, electricity, management. 3. Do not mix the corporate excess-profit tax with your personal transaction.

If you are choosing among offers in Bansko and Razlog, Nova Keys can help with a short shortlist and a document checklist before deposit — no invented volumes or rankings, just a clear check of costs and status.

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Sources (lightly cited)