Simecka: Next Year's Budget Can't Be Trusted

Bratislava, 8 October (TASR) - The published draft budget for the coming years can't be trusted, as suggested by the experience of the current government's two years of consolidation, which have only brought higher deficits, a stalled economy, high prices and poverty, said chairman of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party Michal Simecka in response to the draft budget submitted by the Finance Ministry for a tripartite meeting, announcing that his party won't support the draft budget in Parliament. "According to all projections, the year 2026 will be a period in which our economy will stagnate. We'll have poor economic growth, high inflation and more and more people at risk of poverty, there are already about one million Slovaks like this today. Instead of reversing this trajectory, the budget is accelerating it," said Simecka, adding that the budget doesn't even realistically improve public finances. MP Stefan Kiss (PS) stated that the draft budget is a pamphlet without a real plan. "I've read all the budgets in the past 20 years, but this one is the worst. After three years of talk about responsibility, we have a record debt, an economy on the brink of recession and a billion less collected in tax than the ministry planned. And Fico's government is cutting investment in hospitals, schools and roads instead of saving on itself," he said. am/df