Archive of articles - June 2002, page 10

Reader feedback: Government bursary proposal

Slovak tax law can be illogical and unfair

THE Slovak government declares as one of its goals reducing the tax burden on individuals. In 2002, personal tax rates were slightly decreased, and personal income progressive tax rates now range from 10-38%. However, the tax rate is only one of the factors determining the tax burden on individuals. When taking into account tax allowances, tax-deductible items and tax rates, the tax burden on individuals in Slovakia is still very high.Slovak tax law is very restrictive and allows only a few types of individual income to be exempt from taxation:* profit from the sale of a flat or house with a maximum 2 flats, providing the individual owns the flat/house for at least 2 years and has his/her permanent address there;

Top Pick: Diamond vault breaks miners' curse

VIOLIN virtuoso Peter Michalica was born in one of the most valuable gothic buildings in Slovakia, Dom Komorského Grófa (the House of the Chamber Count). Erected in the 15th century in the central Slovak town of Kremnica, the house was confiscated by the communists but finally reacquired by Michalica at the end of 2000. The violinist opened it to the public last year with a classical music festival - Music Under the Diamond Vault."We wanted to make this historical memorial accessible to a wide audience. Connecting it with music seemed the best idea," said Irena Michalicová, the virtuoso's wife.

No new EMU members until 2007

Markíza nailed for sweetheart Ano stories

Schools again flooded with applications

UPC cable in deeper trouble

No military barriers to Nato remain

Irish pub murderer has sentence confirmed

Slovaks bullish on EU benefits, but not so soon

SLOVAKS expect their living standards to drop steeply after September parliamentary elections, though they remain upbeat about the prospects of European Union (EU) membership, according to a recent poll.The poll, conducted by the Dicio agency at the beginning of May, found that nearly a third of respondents believed their salaries would increase after Slovakia receives EU membership, which may come as soon as 2004. An equal number foresaw a drop in the nation's almost 20 per cent unemployment rate.On the other hand, only 7.4 per cent and 8.3 per cent, respectively, believed the same improvements would occur after parliamentary elections scheduled for September 20-21 (see chart at right).

Slovak architects hold presentation in Washington

ALMOST a year after the opening of the new building of the Slovak embassy in Washington, the team of archtects which built it - Michal Bogár, Dušan Fischer, Ľubomír Králik, Peter Lizoo and Ľudovít Urban - returned to the scene of the crime.

Dzurinda blasts Rusko's media influence

Appetite for non-commercial films sharpens

"AFTER the [political] changes in 1989 we saw a drastic commercial invasion of our TV screens. Advertisements, soulless entertainment programs and rip-offs of foreign game shows began to push back artistic documentaries and short films. The production and existence of these genres was threatened," says Peter Hledík of his motive in coming to the defence of this vanishing form of film art.With communism defeated and democracy taking over, Czechoslovakia's TVs and cinemas opened to the world. American movies and TV shows flooded the market, satisfying Slovak viewers' hunger for flashier and more risqué entertainment. But the inflow almost dealt a death-blow to the old - in this case non-commercial, artistic films.

Industrial growth up 7 per cent

British military airforce orchestra in Bratislava

THE ORCHESTRA of the Military Air Academy in Middle Wallop, UK, will perform in front of the Slovak National Theatre on Bratislava's Hviezdoslavovo Square on June 18 at 12:00.

Mečiar finally agrees to police interview

IRASCIBLE former Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar has finally agreed to appear before police for questioning as to whether he paid businessman Ján Ďuriš Sk41 million ($870,000) in 1999 for construction work connected to the overhaul of his Elektra villa.Mečiar had avoided police questioning for a month in what a local bank had identified as a "suspicious transaction", given the size of the sum involved.Mečiar's decision has failed to quiet claims by his critics that the leader of the strongest Slovak party, the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), has further discredited himself in the eyes of the West by defying the police.

VSŽ stake direct to US Steel?

Piešťany: Take it easy

PIEŠŤANY, I discovered on my last visit, is the kind of place you limp into and skip out of.The most famous spa town in Slovakia, Piešťany has attracted visitors for two millennia. Roman soldiers are believed to have first bathed in its healing waters around the time of the birth of Christ. Then, in 1421, King Žigmund of Luxembourg travelled great distances to sample the waters for himself. Seemingly everyone who is anyone has been here, from Bulgarian Czar Ferdinand I to former PM Vladimír Mečiar, hockey star Jaromír Jágr and supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

EP hopes next government will be formed quickly