Kamenicky: Views on State Budget within Tripartite Contradictory

Bratislava, October 14 (TASR) - Views on the draft state budget within the tripartite (the Economic and Social Council) are very contradictory, stated Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) on Monday following a meeting of the tripartite, adding that the government plans to communicate further with the social partners in the future. "The tripartite is a body in which trade unions and employers are represented, and their ideas have been very contradictory. From one side, we heard about the need to carry out staff audits, while from the other, they were saying to lay people off. The trade unionists spoke about how many organisations have fewer people and need more staff," said the finance ministry chief, adding that these were very sensitive issues. The minister pointed out that many of those who discussed the issue understood that the situation isn't easy. According to Kamenicky, the government has a clear plan for improving public finances. It plans a deficit of 4.72 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year, while it would like to reduce the deficit to 3.7 percent in 2026 and to 3 percent in 2027. "If we didn't consolidate, the debt would reach 66 percent of GDP in 2027, according to calculations," he noted. am/df