UNAS Launches Protest Action, Demands Lower Taxes and Fees for Hauliers

Bratislava, May 18 (TASR) - The Union of Slovak Road Hauliers (UNAS) is entering into protests, demanding a reduction in the tax and fee burden on hauliers and criticising the lack of success in negotiations with various ministries, while also calling on the road hauliers' association Cesmad Slovakia to support the protests, UNAS chairman Stanislav Skala has told TASR, adding that the time and place of the protest will be announced later. "The state hasn't only failed to reduce the tax and fee burden on hauliers, apart from a cosmetic adjustment to the motor vehicle tax, but is instead introducing new taxes and fees which, due to their amount and impact, reduce the competitiveness of domestic hauliers compared to those from Ukraine and neighbouring countries, who either don't pay such taxes or pay them at significantly lower rates," Skala stated. The chairman is disappointed that repeated negotiations and meetings over the past five years have led to no results. "The attitude of state officials shows that they have no intention of seriously and responsibly addressing our demands. Since it's up to politicians, especially those in the government, to find a solution, it's necessary to express the urgency of these problems through public protest," he noted. The protest will concern the transaction tax, the method of categorising vehicles into toll rate groups, and the level of toll charges. It will also address the state's handling of public funds, which UNAS considers to be wasteful. lin