Surplus emissions quotas that some companies received under the previous government will be subject to a newly-introduced 80-percent tax in 2011 and 2012, after parliament voted in favour of a proposal to this effect on Wednesday, December 1.
The move was backed by the entire ruling coalition, while most MPs representing the opposition parties abstained from the vote, the TASR newswire wrote. Speaking last week, Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ)) defended the initiative by saying that Slovak companies were set overly generous emissions limits by the previous government, earning them €660 million over the 2008-12 period. He said these limits were disadvantageous for the state, so the ministry has decided to levy a tax on the surplus amounts. The measure is intended to raise €150 million. Smer leader and former prime minister Robert Fico dismissed Mikloš’ allegations about the former government handing out overly generous emission limits as “rubbish”.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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