Around Sk7.8 billion (€244 million) was allocated in state-funded financial aid in 2007, of which Sk6.9 billion (€216 million) came from state resources and Sk904.45 million (€28.3 million) from EU funds, according to the Finance Ministry's Report on State Aid in 2007 published on May 12.
The total amount of state financial aid fell by 19.43 percent year-on-year. It equalled 0.42 percent of GDP.
A significant fall was recorded in funds allocated to small and medium-sized enterprises (by 52.24 percent), education (49.68 percent), agriculture (77.46 percent) and regional development (45.32 percent). Financial aid allocated to the steel industry rose substantially - by as much as 651.84 percent. The largest amount of state financial aid was granted by tax offices in form of tax relief (52.51 percent of the total sum), with the second-largest donor being the Economy Ministry (27.74 percent of the total).
The largest shares of aid in geographical terms were received by the Bratislava and Košice Regions. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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