New Slovak gov't to infuse more energy into economy, education

The new Slovak government is to beef up the development of economy and education in the country, local media reported on Thursday.

The four parties Smer-SD, SNS, Most-Hid and Network reached an agreement on the division of government posts, Smer-SD chairman Robert Fico announced after the talks at Government Office on Wednesday. He will also stay in the post of Prime Minister for the third time.

The quartet pledged to cut the income tax for companies to 21 percent, and scrap tax licenses as of Jan. 1, 2018. They also vowed to reduce administrative burden for businesses and revise tax and accounting-related legislation to boost the support for investment, reported local news agency TASR.

The four parties also made a commitment to see a balanced budget by 2020. With measures designed to support economic growth, the new government would tend to create 100,000 new jobs and reduce unemployment rate.

The new authorities will also put more attention on education as a response to the protests and strike of teachers in January and February.

The leaders of the four sides agreed that educational representatives will be invited to participate in the process of drafting the government manifesto which will also include long-term educational development plans.

The quartet also intended to seek new sources to finance sports and culture. Endit