Premier Fico Admits Possibility of Changes to Transaction Tax

Bratislava, April 25 (TASR) - One major topic today is the transaction tax, and we'll take a closer look at it and make adjustments where possible, said Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Friday during his speech at the annual congress of the Republican Employers Union (RUZ), adding that the business sector shouldn't expect any surprises next year. "We had to consolidate public finances, we simply had to find sources of revenue. Despite that, I say, let's take a look at the transaction tax and fix what we can," said the premier, who also announced that the level of consolidation for next year will be revealed on April 30. In addition, Fico addressed the issue of cheap labour in Slovakia, which was once considered to be a competitive advantage for the economy. "I want to firmly reject an economic growth model based on cheap labour. We must say goodbye to this once and for all. Let's stop thinking that Slovakia can compete with other regions and countries by offering salaries far below employees' expectations," stressed the premier. Fico stated that economic growth in Slovakia should shift from being driven by domestic consumption to being driven by investments, referring to projects such as the new nuclear reactors at Jaslovske Bohunice (Trnava region), the building of new rental apartments to support Slovak construction and a new battery factory in Surany (Nitra region). lin/df