Opposition: 2026 State Budget Drafted Poorly, Will Stifle Economic Growth

Bratislava, 21 October (TASR) – The 2026 budget is poorly designed and will stifle Slovakia's economic growth, representatives of the opposition stated in response to Tuesday's approval of the 2026 state budget, which they unanimously rejected. According to the opposition, the coalition-backed budget won't restore public finances but will instead impoverish people, increase the national debt and set Slovakia on 'the Greek path'. Progressive Slovakia (PS) labelled the approved budget as the worst in the country's modern history. "People will gain nothing from it – they're tightening their belts for no reason. By the end of this government's term, after three rounds of belt-tightening, every citizen will owe €5,000 more than when this coalition came to power. That's roughly by how much ministers increased their own monthly salaries when they took up office. The public debt is hitting record highs, the deficit is growing, and people's living standards are worsening," said PS MP Stefan Kiss. The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) stated that despite annual consolidation packages, the government is shifting the burden onto ordinary people, sole traders, employers and municipalities. "The government isn't cutting back on itself. If we look at the third consolidation package and the state budget proposal, any supposed austerity affecting the government is illusory. We can see no clear outline of how the government plans to save on its own operations – we can see manipulation of the numbers," said MP Jozef Hajko (KDH). mf/df