October 2 (SeeNews) - Following are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday morning. SeeNews has not verified these reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.
DNEVNIK
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- Excise duties levied per 1,000 pieces of cigareettes rise to 76 euro in the 2010 draft budget, to be submitted to parliament on Wednesday, from current 52.3 euro, Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov said. Dyankov said the rise is expected to bring additional budget revenue of 226 million levs in 2010. One box of cigarettes from the middle category will cost 4.50-5.00 levs, up from current 2.50-3.50 levs. Bulgaria has to raise excise as of January to 64 euro per 1,000 pieces to bring it in line with the minimum level in the European Union. Dyankov also said that excise on motor fuels will not be increased considerably, with the rise expected to bring additional budget revenue of some 10 million levs than this year.
- The previous Socialist-led coalition government has swapped state-owned forests valued three times below their market prices for much cheaper privately-held forests, the new head of State Forestry Agency Georgi Kosotov said, quoting results of an investigation ordered by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Less than 25% of all land swaps made by the previous government have been investigated so far.
- A government-appointed working group is drafting a claim against former Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha for the return of 460 hectares of forests in the Rila Mountain that were granted to him and his sister in a controversial restituition case, the State Forestry Agency head Georgi Kostov said.
- Under draft changes in the privatisation law the government would be able to oversee sales of state-owned assets worth more than 10 million levs, the daily reported. The draft amendments are due to be discussed at the next cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
- Bulgaria-based Incoms Telecom Holding in consortium with Austrian broadcasting services company Oesterreichische Rundfunksender (ORS) is seeking to buy Bulgarian radio and television transmission network NURTS, owned by Bulgarian telecommunications group BTC, the daily reported. BTC tried to sell NURTS at the beginning of the year when ORS said it plans to invest 100 million levs in the upgrade of the network.
- Sofia-based Karoll finance group, leader in term of the number of deals on the local bourse, presented its own platform for online trading, the Karoll Broker, the daily reported.
KLASA
- The government is considering seeking about 1.0 billion euro loan from the World Bank to finance priority projects in the fields of the water and sewerage systems, road infrastructure, the Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev said. Bulgaria has applied for a one billion euro loan from the European Investment Bank to supplement government financing in main infrastructure projects.
TRUD
- Bulgaria could start issuing new ID cards containing biometrical data in March, Deputy Interior Minister Veselin Vuchkov said.
(1 euro=1.95583 Bulgarian levs)