Fico: Bread Prices Should Drop from Janaury

Bratislava, October 16 (TASR) - Prices of bread should drop from January next year thanks to a decrease in VAT, claimed Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at a briefing on the occasion of World Bread Day on Wednesday. Currently, the lowest bread prices in some chains reach over €1.6 per kilo, rising from the original 83-90 cents over several years. "I know that there are many arguments from, for instance, traders that prices are formed differently, but I think that if they say everything will be more expensive with 23-percent VAT, 5-percent VAT on food should press the prices of these items down," said Fico, not ruling out the possibility that eggs and food for coeliacs could be included in the list of foodstuffs with 5-percent VAT rate. The prime minister praised the work of bakers and promised that he and the Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) will do everything possible to ensure that owners of bakeries have good relations with traders so that they can make money and at the same pay decent salaries to their employees. zel