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Opposition Agrees on Reducing Levies and More Flexible Labour Code
Sunday 18 April 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, April 18 (TASR) – A unified collection of tax and levies, as well as reduction of the overall tax and levy burden, would not only support employment in Slovakia but also strengthen Slovakia’s competitiveness, ethnic-Hungarian SMK vice-chair Klara Sarkozy has told TASR.
"By the end of the electoral term, we want to manage to reduce the overall levy burden for employees from the current 35.2 percent to 26 percent," specified Sarkozy.
She pointed out that another measure that would support employment would be re-directing financial means from the EU Funds to projects designed to sustain employment. SMK also proposes introducing a 50-percent, levy holiday for every university, college or high-school graduate who enters the market for the first time. The arrangement would be for 24 months.
Adjustments to the Labour Code would bring positive results as well, claims Sarkozy. "We promote a flexible labour market with flexible rules and with support to part-time employment as well," she added.
Likewise, the strongest opposition party SDKU-DS also proposes a more flexible Labour Code and unified collection of taxes and levies. According to them, the six different levies should be united into one (of 25 percent) that would be calculated from the total labour value. The burden for people with low incomes should be reduced by introducing a deductible item vis-a-vis the levies.
The bureaucratic red tape and levies required from self-employed people and firms should be cut as well, claims SDKU. Instead of levies, traders should once a year pay licence fees for their activities.
SDKU-DS would solve the problem of long-term unemployment by forming a so-called "labour semi-market." People would be able to work for less than the minimum salary, while being supported by some social allowances as well.
When it comes to the Labour Code and tax and levy burden, Christian Democrats (KDH) are coming up with the same suggestions as the two opposition fellows. They also propose introducing about one-year levy holidays for graduates and long-term unemployed people.
KDH views a better enforcement of justice as one of the ways to improve the job-creation environment, too.
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