Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has rejected claims that the government plans to increase value-added tax (VAT) as part of its fiscal consolidation, he said on Wednesday in a video posted on social media in response to statements by the opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS).
The Prime Minister said that instead of admitting who was paid by the British government and for what activities, Progressive Slovakia comes with accusations that he is responsible for the content of the agreement between the United States and the (European) Union on tariffs, or that they intend to raise VAT as part of consolidation. He stressed that none of this is true.
PS claimed at a Wednesday press conference that Fico is using conspiracy theories about foreign influence in Slovakia to divert attention from a planned two-percentage-point VAT increase in the next phase of consolidation.
The Finance Ministry responded that it won't comment prematurely on any proposals or parameters of consolidation measures. It also refused to react to what it described as unnecessary political attempts, at least until there is a definitive agreement on the measures and they are officially presented by the government.
Source: TASR
