FinMin: PS Had Chance to Show Ability to Manage Public Finances, but Did Nothing

Bratislava, March 20 (TASR) - The currently opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party had the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to manage public finances in the past during Ludovit Odor's government, however, it didn't help improve the condition of public finances at all, the Finance Ministry said in reaction to PS's call for postponement of the transaction tax. "The PS party had the opportunity to show its skills in managing public finances during the [caretaker] government led by Ludovit Odor. During that time, it failed to introduce a single specific measure that would have helped improve the condition of public finances even in the slightest. Therefore, the Finance Ministry won't respond to a shallow political calls like this," stated the ministry. PS representatives told a news conference on Wednesday (March 19) that the introduction of a new financial transaction tax, which entrepreneurs are due to start paying as of April 1 of this year, is accompanied by uncertainty and chaos. It called on the government to postpone it by at least three months, therefore. According to PS leader Michal Simecka, people in Slovakia are already living a hard life, suffering from high prices, dysfunctional state services, broken roads and problems in the health-care sector. "As if this weren't enough, the transaction tax is coming in two weeks along with all the chaos, obligations, uncertainty, increased costs and prices related to it. I'll just remind you of the fact that this tax is paid in almost no other country in the world," stressed Simecka. ko