PS to Submit PG Zilinka's Tax Fraud Crackdown Proposal to Parliament (2)

Bratislava, 15 June (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party will submit amendments to criminal codes aimed at strengthening protection against tax fraud during September's session of Parliament, having adopted a proposal that Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka sent to House chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) three months ago, PS representatives announced at a press conference on Monday. PS said that it will also incorporate its own proposals into the amendment. At the same time, it questioned why Rasi hasn't yet acted on Zilinka's proposal. The party also called on Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) to address the issue, arguing that the changes could potentially bring hundreds of millions of extra euros into the state budget. "The aim is at least a partial restoration of justice in criminal activity, meaning stricter rules for economic crimes as well, which would result in significantly better tax collection and, consequently, better economic outcomes for the government," said PS MP Stefan Kiss concerning Zilinka's proposal. He noted that the state has lost €1.2 billion in tax revenues since the beginning of the current parliamentary term due to the lower levels of tax collected. "I'd be very interested to know how Ladislav Kamenicky has familiarised himself with this legislation, what he intends to do about it, and why he has failed to act for three months," said Kiss. PS will therefore submit the proposal during the next regular parliamentary session, which begins on 15 September. Kiss noted that Zilinka's proposal would lower the threshold for criminal liability in tax fraud cases from damages of €20,000 back to the original €700. "This would restore the situation that existed before the amendment, ensuring that fraud involving several thousand euros is also treated seriously. It was the current coalition that raised this threshold, and the measure has significantly lowered tax revenues," he argued. "The second point is that, under the amendment, proceeds from criminal activities would also include economic benefits of any kind. For example, if a fraudster fails to pay tax or gains an advantage on the market, this too would be considered criminal activity according to the prosecution, eliminating another loophole currently being exploited by fraudsters," said Kiss. He added that Zilinka's proposal also includes protection for savings in the second pension pillar. "Unpaid contributions into the second pillar would be counted as damages as well," he said. In early March, Zilinka announced that he'd submitted an initiative to Rasi proposing amendments to the criminal codes aimed at protecting society against tax fraud. He suggested broadening the definitions of damage and proceeds from criminal activities and tightening criminal liability. At the time, Rasi responded by saying that as the Criminal Code falls under the legislative and professional purview of the Justice Ministry, he would seek its expert opinion and coordinate further steps. He also said that he'd ask the parliamentary constitutional and legal affairs committee to examine the proposal. Rasi further stated in March that he'd welcome direct communication between the prosecutor-general and the government and relevant ministries regarding such initiatives so that they could be discussed and potentially adopted via a standard legislative process. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the last three paragraphs mf/df