It turns that Sofia's rubbish could be a good thing. As a result of its probable transfer to a waste treatment plant in the village of Shishmantsi, Rakovski municipality, residents of the Plovdiv region might not see a rise in their refuse tax in 2009, Dnevnik daily wrote on January 2. Due to the incapacity of Bulgaria's capital to deal with the waste it produces, city hall has been searching for years for a location to which the rubbish can be sent for processing, or for holding until Sofia is able to cope. It could be that Shishmantsi, on the condition that the amount of refuse sent does not increase, is the solution. The transfer could go into effect by mid-2009. Plovdiv mayor Slavcho Atanassov said that the rubbish dump near Tsalapitsa would no longer accept Sofia's rubbish, as it was necessary to maintain reserve space there. He was also reported to have said that he would talk with Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov about the price that Sofia would pay Plovdiv for the Shishmantsi service. Plovdiv municipality administration said that, despite the 50 per cent increase on property tax, the increase on buildings would be minimal. Nor would the fee paid for kindergartens be significant - five or six leva at most. At the moment, the kindergarten fee is 25 leva, one of the lowest in Bulgaria, Dnevnik wrote, and only a fraction of the 271 leva that it costs the city to pay for each child's enrolment. Disagreements on the size of local taxes and fees were the cause of a disagreement between the parties VMRO and GERB, which form Plovdiv's managing coalition: GERB was for increased taxes and fees, while Atanassov prodded for their levels to remain the same. More clarity on the dump, Sofia rubbish and Plovdiv taxes is expected by January 15.