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Fico Confident of Maintaining Projected 2010 Public Finance Deficit
Saturday 16 January 2010 Zoom in | Print page
(Slovak Radio, January 16, 'Sobotne dialogy')
This year's projected public-finance deficit won't go up despite the Government-approved significant cut in excise tax on diesel, as Slovakia has committed itself to consolidating public finances, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on the Slovak Radio politics discussion programme Sobotne Dialogy ('Saturday Dialogues').
"The deficit was 6.3 percent in 2009, it will be 5.5 percent in 2010, and we vouch for the deficit to be 5.5 percent," he said, calling the plan "realistic".
According to the premier, the estimate of losses in state-budget revenues that will stem from the lower excise tax on diesel is highly "conservative" and things may turn out differently in the end. The lower tax will possibly boost the consumption of diesel, including by drivers from surrounding countries, he said.
"Despite the highly controversial estimate drawn up by the Finance Ministry, we're very optimistic. I expect the effect to be very positive," said Fico.
Still, further changes guaranteeing that the state will save funds are needed, said Fico and cited the Cabinet-approved move to abolish two ministries as one such measure.
"Just to make sure and guarantee that things will be all right we said to ourselves that the public administration must be slimmer," said the premier, adding that he expects the savings stemming from the slimmer public administration to reach €10-13 million.
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