The monthly maintenance for a family of four is BGN 2,189

“The monthly maintenance, including costs for housing, food, clothing and holidays, for a family of four reached BGN 2,189 and BGN 547.40 per member of a household at the end of March 2012,” Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), announced, citing data from the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research with the syndicate. On an annual basis, the absolute value of the cost of living has increased by more than BGN 19. The increase in March was 2%, compared to December 2011 and 3.6%, compared to same period of last year.

The main factors which influenced the increase in the cost of living are: the excise duty introduced on natural gas for industrial purposes, the higher excise duty on fuels, the price hike of oil and shrinking agricultural production, CITUB specified. The Institute for Social and Trade Union Research reported a record-high increase in the price of eggs and more expensive fresh vegetables. The prices of milk and dairy products rose by 1%. Rental and housing maintenance costs went up by 6%, and those for clothing, footwear and personal accessories - by 5.8%.

The poverty threshold, set on the basis of a basket of 77 goods and services vital to physical survival, is now BGN 205. 95. The group of foodstuffs in the consumer basket of limited consumption, excluding cigarettes, alcohol and restaurants, registered a 4.1% price increase, compared to Q4 2011.

CITUB’s President cited data of BBSS Gallup International, according to which 47% of Bulgarians have reduced their daily spending on food, 41% have begun buying cheaper products and only 27% have managed to cope with the family budget fairly well. “Against this background, any speculative allegations about the growing bank deposits of the population, are highly inappropriate,” commented the syndicate leader. According to Plamen Dimitrov, the percentage of people and households with savings has fallen two-fold within two years – from 14% in 2010 to 7% in February 2012

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