The Slovak government should introduce lower value-added tax (VAT) on school books and Internet before the country joins the eurozone, particularly from January 1, 2008, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a political debate program on the public Slovak Television (STV) on Sunday when evaluating so-far performance of his cabinet. He labeled a nine-percent reduction of VAT on medicaments a reforming success of his government, adding that the previous government did not reform the health sector, but rather privatized it. Private health insurance companies must not generate profits from public financial resources, they should rather take loans for this business, stated Mr. Fico.
Mr. Fico stated that Slovaks, who are willing to work hardly for low salaries take a credit for increasing productivity of the Slovak economy and not investors, however, he did not doubt a foreign capital's share in the growth of the Slovak economy.
If his SMER-Social Democracy (SMER-SD) was in the government alone, dividends would have already been taxed, said Mr. Fico concerning composition of political power in Slovakia. He added that two wings would be beneficial for Slovakia, particularly centrist left and conservative, so that the government's program intentions could be better harmonized. SMER-SD now has to respect opinions of its coalition partners that do not necessarily have to share ideological orientation of SMER-SD in everything, added Mr. Fico.
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