Monitor: Danko: SNS Against Defence Spendings Higher Than 2% of GDP

(TA3, 'V politike', February 23) Coalition's junior SNS party is against any further hikes in defence spending, as it believes that the potential increase to 3.5 percent of GDP would amount to an economic suicide and SNS will tolerate only 2 percent of GDP at maximum, which Slovakia already spends, SNS chair Andrej Danko said on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday. Danko is also opposed to any further tax raises and criticised the introduction of the transaction tax. "It's set up poorly... If SNS had more percent, we would cancel the transaction tax," he claimed. KDH chair Milan Majersky, also on the show, pointed out that if US President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on imports of European cars, Slovak car maker jobs would be put in jeopardy. Additional dangers to the Slovak economy stem from the fact that the Government still hires new people and the inflation has gone up. KDH proposes to increase the gambling levy, introduce a flat tax and scrap the transaction tax. Majersky also urges the Government to shift the EU funds under the aegis of regional and local authorities, which can utilize them better. mf