SaS: Solutions to Address Industry Problems Exist, Only Must Be Put to Use (2)

Bratislava, 13 January (TASR) – The opposition's Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party welcomes Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) interest in kick-starting the Slovak economy, but at the same time claims that most of the problems were caused by his governments. SaS responded this way to the prime minister’s Tuesday press conference at the shut-down Slovalco aluminium plant in Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region). According to the liberals, the solutions proposed by the prime minister that require EU cooperation take a long time, while options to support the economy already exist and only need to be used. "The solution has existed for a long time, a solution that would help our entire Slovak industry," said SaS MP Karol Galek. As an example, he cited the system of assistance with high energy prices in France, where the state allows companies to buy electricity directly from nuclear power plants at a preferential price. "The same situation exists here as well. We also have Jaslovske Bohunice, we have Mochovce. These are power plants built by our fathers, and in the case of the Mochovce 3 and 4 nuclear power plant, we all contributed through our taxes to their completion, because since the privatisation of Slovenske elektrarne we have not seen a cent in the state budget, everything went to their completion," Galek added. According to SaS, reviving the aluminium plant in Ziar nad Hronom is also one of its priorities, but Galek identified poor use of the Environmental Fund as one of the problems. From this fund, energy-intensive companies are refunded only a small part of their costs, while most of the money is used for other purposes. The fund receives money from ETS emission allowances, which increase energy prices. The solution that works in France could also help Slovak companies, Galek said. He recalled the memorandum with Slovenske elektrarne, under which the state has been receiving electricity for households at a preferential price for several years. If, according to the MP, the current government introduced genuine targeted energy aid covering, for example, half of households, the other half of electricity – around three terawatt-hours – could be offered to companies. Another option is to use electricity produced by the state-owned Gabcikovo hydropower plant. SaS MP Marian Viskupic added that to kick-start the economy, the current government should abolish all measures from the past two years that have "devastated the business environment, devastated our economy, slowed economic growth and destroyed our competitiveness." According to Viskupic, if SaS takes part in a future government, it wants to abolish the transaction tax, introduce only two rates of VAT tax and simplify the rules. "Efficient VAT collection is truly the path or the key to solving the problems of our public finances. I am personally convinced that the time has even come for just one VAT rate, just one, and of course significantly lower than the current draconian 23 percent," Viskupic added. He said the party wants to seek support for this change from other parties as well. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final three paragraphs mf