Allowances that government members have received for trips abroad may be taxed retroactively, Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ)) indicated on Tuesday, March 29. The allowances weren't taxed before due to an unclear interpretation of the relevant legislation, the TASR newswire wrote. The additional taxation should now affect members of the current government and those of the previous one, and should even cover the last month of Mikuláš Dzurinda's cabinet, which left office in 2006.
"It won't be about any staggering amounts, but we need to put this right," Mikloš said at a press conference, adding that the culprits for past mistakes in this area were both the Finance Ministry and the Tax Administration. Mikloš cited the example of his predecessor Ján Počiatek (Smer), who received allowances amounting to around €3,500. Počiatek will now be expected to pay back roughly €400. The new legislation subjecting all allowances received by members of the government to taxation has been in force since January 1.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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