Consumer prices in Slovakia grew by 4 percent year-on-year in May, the Statistics Office announced on June 13 and in the first five months of the year, prices rose by 3.5 percent y-o-y, the TASR newswire reported.
Compared to May 2010, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages were 7.4 percent higher in May of this year; followed by transport at 6.3 percent, education at 4.5 percent, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 4.4 percent; alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 4.2 percent; miscellaneous goods and services at 3.7 percent; health care at 3.4 percent, clothing and footwear at 2.6 percent; hotels and restaurants at 2.3 percent; recreation and culture at 0.9 percent; and postal and telecommunications services at 0.4 percent. The prices of furniture, home furnishings and routine household maintenance fell by 1.3 percent on an annual basis. Consumer prices rose by 0.3 percent month-on-month.
A Finance Ministry statement said that the growth of prices in Slovakia, currently at a level comparable to that of 2008, has been caused by global factors that the government cannot influence – namely poor harvests that translate into foodstuffs becoming more expensive and the prices of oil and petroleum products.
The ministry was responding to criticism levelled by opposition Smer party and its chairman Robert Fico, who earlier on June 13 lambasted the current government for what he called the bad economic results the country experienced in the past year.
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.
14. Jun 2011 at 10:00
