FIRST-time parents will receive an extra Sk11,000 from the state in addition to the Sk4,460 they are currently paid on the birth of their first child, the cabinet decided on September 20.
According to Labour Minister Viera Tomanová, the allowance should help cover the initial expenditures parents incur with the birth of their first child.
Around 25,000 babies are born to first-time parents in Slovakia every year, meaning that the new bonus will cost the state budget around Sk275 million annually.
The government approved the special allowance despite opposition from the Finance Ministry, which argued that the measure would cost more than the Labour Ministry predicted.
Parliament has yet to approve the proposal.