SaS: Figaro Survived 2 World Wars, Communism, but Not Kamenicky's Consolidation

Bratislava, 16 April (TASR) - Even well-known Slovak brands no longer see their future in Slovakia and are moving abroad, the opposition Freedom and Slovakia (SaS) party has said in response to the withdrawal of the Figaro factory's production from Trnava and its relocation to the Czech Republic. Figaro survived two world wars and communism, but failed to survive Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky's (Smer-SD) consolidation measures, stated MP Marián Viskupic (SaS). In addition to the Finance Ministry's consolidation measures, such as the transaction tax, the party blames the companies' withdrawal from Slovakia on the overall increase in the tax and levy burden, and rising bureaucracy. According to the liberals, Slovakia has lost more than 5,000 jobs over the past few years as a result. MP Karol Galek (SaS) stated that the Figaro company was founded in 1898 and is now moving to the Czech Republic. "Everything that has legs is fleeing Slovakia. I would call it an investment exodus," said Galek. He added that Samsung is relocating part of its production to Hungary, while Foxconn, which is laying off workers in Nitra, is developing its investments in Poland. SaS criticised Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) for not having presented any measures to support the economy so far. However, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) claimed after last week's (8 April) Coalition Council meeting that Sakova had brought forward a package of measures from which the council would gradually select. Valeo Foods, owner of the Figaro plant, announced on its website that it will relocate production from Trnava to Rohatec in the Czech Republic. The company said the move is intended to optimise production costs, increase efficiency, and "respond to growing competitive pressures from global players". ko/mcs