The first measure that SaS will take if it becomes part of the government in the future will be the abolition of the transaction tax. The chairman of the opposition SaS, Branislav Gröhling, said this on TASR TV.
He claims that the funds that the government of Robert Fico (Smer-SD) promises from the introduction of the new tax will they will not withdraw in the planned amount anyway due to the slowdown of the economy. “The transaction tax is the biggest evil brought by this government. It will absolutely devastate the business sector here, it will completely destroy small and medium-sized companies, large companies will move abroad,” Gröhling declared.
According to him, SaS rejects the consolidation of public finances based on an increase in VAT and the introduction of a new transaction tax. “We should consolidate somewhere at the level of 1.2-1.4 billion euros. But this government proposed consolidation for 2.7 billion,” says the president of SaS. He asks how the government wants to use the extra billion euros that, according to him, it planned to obtain through consolidation measures.
According to Gröhling, SaS would place the focus of consolidation of public finances on saving expenses. “What this country has, we can spend it on. If we don’t have 13 pensions, because we don’t even have 12 pensions in Social Insurance, then we have to reevaluate that.” he hinted.
If the state could afford the thirteenth pension, it would according to Gröhling, divide the amount more fairly into twelve parts and increase classic pensions, how to leave it at the end of the year. According to him, it is also possible to abolish two ministries, the Department of Investments and Regional Development established under the government of Igor Matovič and the Ministry of Sports created by the current government.
According to SaS, it would be more advantageous for students if you the train tickets were valid, but the train transport would be at a solid level, like when it’s free but its level is low. “We want to have an economically strong family in Slovakia that will make its own decisions. When he decides to go on vacation, she doesn’t need Danko’s recreation vouchers and she doesn’t need sports vouchers for her children to play sports,” Gröhling claims.
He added that SaS does not reject the principle of solidarity, it is also in its name, but solidarity should be targeted, aimed at those social groups that need it. According to him, the state should not make social groups dependent on state aid, on the contrary, it should help them get on their own feet so that they can take care of themselves. “The social system must lead to the independence of a person and must help him to independence. It cannot create a long-term dependence of a person on some benefits. You will only subsidize such a system and put the country in debt“, he said.
According to Gröhling, SaS will not support the law on the state budget for next year. However, he will bring an amendment to the parliament to abolish the transaction tax. “We need to support economic growth. What the government is doing is only destroying the middle class and entrepreneurs,” he declared. According to him, Slovakia’s economy needs an impulse that it could get from the right side of the political spectrum. “Right-wing economic measures will start Slovakia and make us an economic tiger again,” the chairman of SaS indicated.
