KDH Calls for Extraordinary Sessions of House Committees to Address Fraud

Bratislava, 9 February (TASR) - The opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) are requesting extraordinary sessions of the House defence and security committee and the House finance and budget committee to discuss the state of tax fraud investigations, stressing that changes to the Penal Code have had devastating effects, TASR reported on Monday based on information received from KDH's communications department. "Today we can see in black and white who they wrote this amendment for. While the government is squeezing people through higher VAT and a transaction tax, tax fraudsters have been given a gift of impunity. Last year alone, the state collected €700 million less in VAT than planned. It's absurd for citizens to make up the shortfalls caused by the government's leniency towards crime. I'll demand an explanation of how the Finance Ministry intends to address this gigantic shortfall without taking people's money yet again," stated KDH MP Igor Janckulik. In connection with the restructuring of the police force, KDH also highlighted a security issue, as complex tax cases are reportedly being left to inexperienced officers who don't possess the necessary skills or expertise to investigate them. "European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi warned us that Slovakia is becoming a safe haven for VAT fraudsters," added KDH MP Andrea Turcanova. jrg/df