BRATISLAVA, June 27, (WEBNOVINY) — During its first year of the government of Iveta Radicova, it focused more on dealing with accumulated problems than on reforms, think the representatives of the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SOPK). According to the Chamber of Commerce, the government has not fulfilled the expectations of the business sector yet. “The business sector was clearly expecting the government to be more resolute in creating a motivating business environment, significant saving measures to be implemented in the field of public finance and reforms in education, judiciary, and health care to be accelerated,” stated Chamber of Commerce President Peter Mihok at a news conference on Monday.
In its years to come, the government should, according to the Chamber of Commerce, also reform the pension system: define for example the retirement age in certain perspective and finalize the discussion on the second pillar of pension saving. It also should stabilize the system in order to make it sustainable in long-term. The chamber also supports adopting a constitutional law on fiscal accountability, which should make the national fiscal framework stricter in the long-term, providing for more responsibility in regard to the future generations. “In addition to the principles declared in the proposal, we also recommend improving controlling financial management of self-governments of counties, cities and villages; to resolve the competence of nominated employees of public and state administration by political parties, and to also resolve transparency of financing political parties,” the Chamber of Commerce adds.
Within the proposal to reform the tax- and payroll levies system, the Chamber of Commerce above all recommends curbing the existing burden and not increasing taxes. “We fully support creating one institution for collecting both taxes and levies,” Mihok informed. According to him, instead of increasing taxes the Cabinet should rather deal with problems with tax evasion. It should work to prevent large-scope tax evasion, Mihok recommends. The Chamber of Commerce also supports proposed changes to the Labor Code – those which would lead to increasing flexibility of the labor market and to react more effectively to the development on domestic and foreign markets.
SITA