Zoltán Végh, the mayor of Šurice in Banská Bystrica region, would appreciate having more Roma living in his village because he thinks Šurice would then see more income from Slovakia’s system of per capita allocation and life in Šurice would therefore be better, the TASR newswire reported.
The mayor said Šurice is disadvantaged in terms of financing due to the absence of Roma residents. "There's low birth-rate," Vegh explained, as quoted by TASR.
“Last year, 11 people died and just one child was born. The main factor is the lack of Roma citizens who usually have many children", adding that if more children lived in Šurice a nursery school and primary school could be opened and more money from the per capita distribution of tax revenues and other subsidies would flow into the village.
With only 13 children under 15, however, such a scenario is not now possible. Šurice has a population of 500 and the number is rapidly dwindling, TASR wrote.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
