Sofia City Prosecutor's Office called on the Sofia Administrative Court to overturn the Sofia city hall's local taxes ordinance, Dnevnik daily reported on March 18.

The prosecutors argue that the bill breached several provisions of the the Local Fees and Taxes Act. The prosecutor's office also requested suspension of the ordinance until the court issued a final verdict.

Prosecutors argue that Sofia municipal council voted the ordinance too late, after the February 29 dealine stipulated in the local taxes law.

The request confirms the forecasts of legal experts, who said they expected the ordinance to be declared void because of that delay, which saw the ordinance and Sofia budget for 2008 voted on March 6.

If the court overturns the ordinance, the city hall would lose 40 million in revenues, a shortfall it planned to cover by selling city property, deputy mayor for finance Minko Gerdjikov said earlier this month.