Local companies expect improvement of the business climate in the country this year, according to a survey held by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the methodology of the association of the European chambers. The business climate index rose by almost 70% y/y to 59.8 percentage points this year, which ranks the country in Europe ’s top five. Tax policy changes and commitments of the government to reduce regulatory burdens are stated as main reasons for the improvement. Some 75.7% of 600 companies covered in the survey expect bigger sales while 54.5% of the companies envisage investment growth. The business sentiments indicator monitored by the surveys of the statistical institute has been growing steadily in the past several years to record high 50.7pts in early March.