Slovaks spent the most on housing

The average Slovak household spent more than one quarter of its monthly expenditures on housing and energy last year, according to data released by Eurostat on Tuesday. The second most demanding item was food with a 17.2-percent share of total expenditures, up more than 2 percent since 2006. The introduction of a lower VAT rate on selected foodstuffs failed to lower prices, according to analyst Lenka Buchlaková from Slovenská Sporiteľna bank. She explains that plenty of other factors are involved in price-setting, such as the seasonal character of fruit and vegetables. In the case of sugar, its price went down significantly due to the scrapping of quotas and excessive supplies on the market. Slovaks saved more on leisure and culture, which made up 8.8 percent of total monthly spending, down 2 percent year-on-year. Slovaks spent 1.7 percent of their monthly expenditures on education.