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Slovak Government Divided Over Freezing Ministerial Expenses; Smer Opposes, Hlas Pushes
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Slovakia /Economy & Trade

Slovak Government Divided Over Freezing Ministerial Expenses; Smer Opposes, Hlas Pushes

From SME · (1d ago) Slovak Mixed tone

Translated from Slovak, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Slovak government is divided over freezing the flat-rate expenses for ministers, with the Smer party opposing the measure.
  • Minister of Agriculture Richard Takรกฤ (Smer) argued against freezing the expenses, citing a decrease in ministerial salaries due to higher tax rates.
  • The Hlas party insists on freezing the expenses, and the SNS party has now joined them, despite previous skepticism.

The coalition government in Slovakia is experiencing internal friction over the proposed freezing of flat-rate expenses for ministers. While the Hlas party is pushing for the freeze, the Smer party, particularly Minister of Agriculture Richard Takรกฤ, has voiced strong opposition. Takรกฤ argues that ministerial salaries have actually decreased due to new tax rates implemented as part of fiscal consolidation, making the freeze proposal unreasonable. He stated that ministers now earn less than they did the previous year, a point also echoed by Minister of Defense Robert Kaliลˆรกk.

As ministers, we probably have lower salaries than we had last year. That is the reality. I have less than 100 euros less than I had the previous year.

โ€” Richard TakรกฤMinister of Agriculture Takรกฤ explains his opposition to freezing ministerial expenses, citing a personal reduction in income due to new tax laws.

This disagreement highlights a divergence in priorities and perspectives within the ruling coalition. The Hlas party, along with the SNS party (which has now shifted its stance after initial reservations), is keen on implementing the freeze, viewing it as a necessary step for fiscal responsibility and potentially as a public relations move. Conversely, Smer seems to be prioritizing the perceived financial well-being of its ministers, arguing that their current compensation is already insufficient given the tax changes.

I personally think that we should not devalue the position of a minister or a member of the National Council; I said several months ago that a manager in an agricultural company earns four or five times more than the Minister of Agriculture himself, who sets everything across Slovakia.

โ€” Richard TakรกฤMinister Takรกฤ further justifies his stance by comparing ministerial salaries unfavorably to those in the private sector.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that Minister Takรกฤ claims not to recall previous statements from his party colleague, Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenickรฝ, who had previously indicated an agreement on freezing these expenses. This suggests a lack of internal alignment within Smer itself or a deliberate attempt to distance the party from earlier commitments. The ongoing debate indicates that the issue is far from resolved, and further discussions are expected on the coalition council.

This issue was discussed at the coalition council and remained open.

โ€” Erik TomรกลกMinister of Labor Erik Tomรกลก confirms that the disagreement over freezing expenses is ongoing and unresolved at the coalition level.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by SME in Slovak. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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