Good evening. Here is the Monday, April 28 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
How to handle the transaction tax
PM Robert Fico (Smer). (source: TASR)
If PM Robert Fico (Smer) and coalition lawmaker's statements on Sunday are any indication, the transaction tax could spark another conflict in the coalition.
During an unusual press conference, the PM firmly stated that the tax is irrevocable, since it brings a lot of money to the state coffers and consolidation would be impossible without it. Fico blamed the previous government for the need to introduce the tax and claimed that it disrupted the public finances.
According to estimates, the tax should bring up to €700 million annually.
The opposition Slovensko (formerly OĽaNO) movement and Progressive Slovakia criticised the PM for these statements. The former said that it was Smer-led governments that drastically increased the debt.
During the press conference, Fico also mentioned that certain technical problems of the tax could be adjusted, such as situations where transactions exempt from it are actually taxed.
Speaking on the O 5 Minút 12 political talk show shortly after the conference, SNS chair Andrej Danko called the tax "bad and stupid" and its abolition - even though the party voted for it - is something the party is not going to back down from.
However, at the moment, Danko thinks that, at the minimum, self-employed persons and entrepreneurs with a turnover of up to €100,000 per year should not pay the tax from October this year, and the party submitted a proposal to that end to the parliament. He also said that talks with the PM and Hlas chair Matúš Šutaj Eštok are ongoing.
Unlike Danko, however, Fico does not mention any tax exemption for small entrepreneurs or self-employed persons. Originally, Smer refused to make any changes. However, a wave of resentment soon arose after the tax came into effect and that is when thd SNS turned against it.
Fico called SNS's motion as "means of survival" for the party, since it has polled way below the threshold of entering the parliament for quite some time.
The opposition parties said that they are ready to support any proposal to abolish the transaction tax.
The PM also announced that the government would soon present the consolidation package for the next year, saying that the government will continue to consolidate, even if "it hurts". However, its volume for the next year will be lower.
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FEATURE STORY
From teaching to filmmaking
Al Pillar projects Hitchcockian intensity as he directs a scene (source: Gledhow Valley productions)
Leeds native Alexander "Al" Pillar has never taken the easy path. After years of teaching English in Bratislava, he recently gave it up to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a filmmaker.
In this interview, Al opens up about his tumultuous upbringing, the cultural idiosyncrasies of Southeast Asia, and how Slovakia measures up as a tourist destination. He also shares his hopes for future filmmaking projects — including the possibility of one set in Bratislava.
EVENT FOR THURSDAY
Open Doors day at Nová Cvernovka
Visitors to Nová Cvernovka, the Nové Mesto borough, during the annual Day of Open Studios event. (source: TASR)
This Thursday, the Nová Cvernovka venue in Bratislava will host its traditional Open Doors Day event, inviting everyone to visit artists' studios, look around the spaces of the former chem-industrial school building, discover all the places with the best views and more. You can also look forward to workshops, debates, theatre performances and concerts. The event starts on May 1 at 10:00, admission is €5 before the event or €8 at the door.
IN OTHER NEWS
On Monday, certain measures related to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease have eased. Now, the transport of animals at risk in the Trenčín, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Prešov and Košice regions to other farms and pastures is allowed under certain conditions. In addition, zoos and circuses in the Prešov and Košice regions can reopen with certain conditions. There have been no new outbreaks of the disease in Slovakia for quite some time. (TASR)
PM Robert Fico (Smer) and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán signed a memorandum on cross-border development between both countries during the latter's official visit to Slovakia on Monday. According to Fico, the visit confirmed their above-standard friendly relations and that if there were any issues, they would sit down and talk them through. The talks concerned information in the field of nuclear energy and cooperation between Slovak and Hungarian companies. Earlier in the day, the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) criticised the Slovak PM, claiming that Orbán is his only ally and that the former's foreign policy is falling apart. According to PS presidium member Ivan Korčok, the current Slovak government's foreign policy is neither sovereign nor proud. Korčok also criticised in particular the depiction of Bratislava Castle as part of the Hungarian national anthem. Korčok urged Fico to object to such actions. In the past, Orbán was spotted wearing a "Greater Hungary" scarf, promoting irredentism, an idea that supports the territorial restoration of the Kingdom of Hungary from before 1920. Based on this idea, parts of Slovakia, Ukraine, Austria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia should belong to Hungary.
Opposition party SaS invites the public to contribute messages for Russian President Vladimir Putin via their website. The party will submit them to the Government Office on May 7 and ask PM Robert Fico (Smer) to deliver them when he visits Moscow for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II the next day. SaS has once again criticised the PM for his intention to visit Russia, for being unable to condemn Russian soldiers killing Ukrainian civilians, including children, and for turning his back on Slovakia's partners in the EU and NATO. (TASR)
HK Nitra ice-hockey players are celebrating the winning goal of Sunday's match against HK Košice in Game 6 of the Slovakia's top league finals, tying the series 3-3. The Game 7 is going to take place on Tuesday, April 29 in Košice. (source: TASR)
Speaking on the Politika 24 talk show on private TV Joj 24 on Sunday, Speaker of Parliament Richard Raši (Hlas) has called on MP Peter Kotlár, a government-appointed investigator into Slovakia's Covid-19 response and conspiracy theorist, to publish his analysis on mRNA vaccines. "If we want to dispel doubts that are being raised, we cannot just talk about the conclusions of a study that no one has seen," stated Raši, adding that he does not have the report, nor is it available to the Government Office. Kotlár has to publish it by June 30. PM Robert Fico (Smer) supports Kotlár. "You can forget about Kotlár being dismissed from the post," he said at a Sunday press conference, adding that this will not change even if the upcoming Slovak Academy of Sciences reports on the vaccines proves Kotlár wrong. In response to President Peter Pellegrini's veto of the so-called "Covid amnesties", the PM wants to mobilise lawmakers to break the veto. He already has the support of SNS chair Andrej Danko. The Hlas caucus will discuss their next move. (TASR)
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Bratislava has filed an indictment at the Specialized Criminal Court against an unnamed Slovak mayor. The indictment concerns a fraud involving EU subsidies for the construction of a cycling path in the Trnava Region. The mayor allegedly used partially false documents that declared the purchase of more expensive construction materials. If found guilty, the mayor faces up to 6 years in prison and potentially an additional fine of €3 million. (TASR)
President Peter Pellegrini has not yet allowed any Slovak to serve in the Ukrainian army. Since the beginning of his term, he has received a total of four requests from Slovak citizens, but did not authorise any. (TASR)
On May 3-7, the 25th edition of the Istropolitana Project international festival of performing arts universities will take place in various venues in Bratislava. The theme of this year is 'revolt' and it can be seen in several dozen performances of students from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, as well as Switzerland and Great Britain. In addition to performances, you can look forward to talks, discussions and afterparties every day. Click here to learn more about the programme.
Last weekend, the Children's Historic Railway in Košice opened this year's season. The programme included a reenaction of Western-like train robbery. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Sunny to cloudy skies. Daily temperatures will rise to between 20 °C to 25 °C. Level 1 ground frost warning issued for the entire territory with the exception of westernmost and southwestern Slovakia. (SHMÚ)
APRIL 29 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Lea
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