Access to Information Programme | Information newsletter issue 2(14) February 2005

Information newsletter
Issue 2(14), February 2005

Monitoring Access to Information in Practice: The necessity of providing information is recognized in Haskovo
Bogdana Galeva, AIP coordinator, Haskovo

The positive tendency of decreasing information refusals at all administrative levels in Haskovo has been noticeable for the last year. Four years after the adoption of the Access to Public Information Act, the implementation of the law is tangible. The heads of a number of institutions have realized that the position of “Public Relations” is not only necessary and significant, but it also should be occupied by journalists. This is the case in the Regional Tax Agency, where the journalist from the local “Darik Radio,” Bozhana Ilieva, was appointed to the position of PR. Till her appointment, the PR functions were covered by a tax expert and the Agency was “media immune.” The change has been substantial.

How does a journalist feel at the PR position at a Tax Agency?

In a word—comfortable. I have started to comprehend tax matters, which are more specific. In journalism, good general knowledge is required, while the work in a tax agency demands detailed knowledge of the tax legislation and ability to give competent answers to specific questions. I have been working here since September 2004. At the beginning it was very difficult since my former colleagues, the journalists, asked a lot of question about taxes, fees, and deadlines. The tax area was completely new for me. I have succeeded in getting acquainted with the specifics of that field. I feel already safe at my work place. We manage to keep good relations with all media.

Do you think that this position should necessarily be occupied by a journalist?

I think, it is preferable that the employee is a journalist. Coming from the media sector, they already know the requirements of journalists: deadlines, content, scope of the information provided. A press attache could sometimes predict the journalists' questions and give relevant questions beforehand. It is common for many branches of the Tax Agency that tax experts function as speakers and managers of specialized departments at the same time. They admit that it is very difficult to combine the duties of the two positions.

Are there requests for access to information under the Access to Public Information Act?

They are not necessary. Citizens and journalists set their requests orally and we try to answer them immediately or after a short reference. In many cases, I reach the relevant official, who consults the citizens on specific issues when necessary. We are in a tax campaign now—licensing, annual tax declarations, corporate income tax declarations. There are people who have recently started business and have problems with filling in the declaration forms. The problems are solved on the spot.

Which is the strangest question you have had to answer till now?

Today, a journalist asked me about the number of dog owners who have paid the annual tax for their pets. It turns that there are only 374 dog owners from the Svilengrad and Harmanly Municipalities. There are no taxes paid in the other 95 municipalities. Another interesting question asked recently was about the number of prostitutes who have stated their occupation and whether they have submitted income tax declarations for practicing the oldest craft. In this case, there is a discrepancy: people who claim their profession to be a call-girl or call-boy should pay for an annual license, which is quite expensive. It depends on the class of the place. The tax for Haskovo is 5,200 BGN (2,600Euro) per year. Statistics show that there is no license payment from a call-girl for the last two years. They declare themselves prostitutes, who are not obliged under any law yet. Thus, they are not taxable. The other paradox, however, is that even prostitutes practicing on the streets, are obliged to issue receipts for all services, i.e. prostitutes should carry cash registers in their pockets. Of course, this is impossible. Questions of the kind may sound mediocre to some, but they are important social barometer. When stated publicly, they often trigger debates and push the government to invent new laws. =

Milena Stoyanova, Junior Jurisconsult at “Legal Services and Internal Control” Department at the Municipality of Haskovo:

Since January 1, 2004, a computerized record system has been developed at the Haskovo Municipality. The officials from the Administrative Services Department enter incoming and outgoing correspondence and register the movement of documents between the administrative departments of the municipality, including the incoming requests under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA). The mayor of the municipality has authorized the Head of “Legal Services and Internal Control” Department to answer all requests under APIA.

In 2004, nine requests for access to information were submitted to the Haskovo Municipality, eight of them were submitted in a written form, and one was oral. Two of the requests were for information about the legal and other acts of the Municipality. Three of the requests were submitted by Municipality Councillors in relation to the fulfilment of their duties. There was one request for access to the minutes of a commission on the selection of procurement executor and one request for access to the minutes from a recruitment proceeding under the Labour Code in a municipality company. The request from a researcher about the addresses of the people from the village of Tatarevo in regard to his study on the “Families at Tatarevo” was one of the interesting cases. Information was denied to the requestor under article 2, par. 3 of APIA, which states that the provisions of the law could not be implemented for access to personal data.

Since the adoption of the law in 2000, no citizen or NGO has sued the Municipality.

The analysis of the requests submitted to the Haskovo Municipality shows that citizens are not acquainted with their rights under the APIA. That is why the NGOs should make greater efforts to expand the public awareness in regards to the implementation of the law.