Prime Minister Fico Surprised by Lack of Political Integrity Within Coalition

Bratislava, April 13 (TASR) - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has declared his intention to keep the governing coalition intact until 2027, but he's concerned about the lack of political integrity within the coalition, noting that some voices are calling for the re-evaluation of the transaction tax, which he believes was necessary for consolidation, and he urges those who voted for it to propose alternative measures to secure €700 million in annual state budget revenue, the premier said in a video on social media on Sunday. "The entire government coalition voted in favour of the transaction tax. No one opposed to it. That was also the agreement at the coalition council, where everyone was present... No tax is nice, whether it's the transaction tax or the increased VAT, which we also had to implement to secure resources for the consolidation of public finances, which the previous government left in the worst shape in the entire European Union," he said. The coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) stated on Saturday that it would present a proposal to abolish the transaction tax for small businesses and entrepreneurs at the May parliamentary session. lin