BRATISLAVA, March 1, (WEBNOVINY)- Deputies for the opposition SMER-SD have submitted to parliament a draft amendment to the grand privatization law, which should prevent sale of Slovakia’s six major heating companies. The opposition wrote that they propose creation of legal tools that would leave the 100-percent stake in these trade companies in the portfolio of the government privatization agency, FNM as its permanent equity stake. SMER–SD argues that these companies are important from the regional viewpoint representing decisive companies in terms of supplying heat and warm water in respective regions. The party also underscored that the heating companies are important employers.
SMER-SD deputies suggest that the heating companies represent a not negligible contribution to the state budget where dividends from these companies flow based on the Cabinet’s decision. Parliament should start dealing with the SMER-SD’s draft at its session this month.
The opposition SMER-SD has also sent a duo of draft amendments to Parliament that the party tailored to hamper the negative price development in Slovakia. SMER-SD has prepared a draft law on special levies of selected financial institutions, the so-called bank tax and also an amendment to the value-added tax law. Three deputies of the strongest opposition party, Robert Fico, Jan Pociatek and Peter Kazimir propose to introduce a special annual levy for banks at 0.73 percent of selected liabilities. They also want to push through a lowering of VAT rate to the original 19 percent and resume the reduced VAT rate at 6 percent on products sold directly from farms. Deputies should deal with the draft this month.
SITA