Danko: Recreational Vouchers Mandatory for Firms with 50+ Employees

Bratislava, August 27 (TASR) – Recreational vouchers will be mandatory in the first stage of their introduction for firms employing more than 50 people, Parliamentary Chair Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party/SNS) announced on Monday after talks with Klub 500 and other representatives of employers.

Designed to support tourism in Slovakia, the recreational vouchers are slated to be introduced as of January 2019.

Danko reiterated that recreational vouchers should work according to a similar principle as meal vouchers. If employees choose to spend their holidays in Slovakia, they’ll be issued with recreational vouchers worth €500, €275 of which will be paid in a compulsory manner by their employers. The money will be exempt from income tax and deductions for both employees and employers.

“Of course, I also want the 300,000 self-employed [‘zivnostniks’] to have the option of utilising this, and neither state administration employees nor members of the military and police should be left out,” declared Danko, who expects some 60 percent of the total number of 2.5 million employees in Slovakia to use the vouchers.

Danko pointed out that Slovakia in this fashion will pursue similar accomplishments in tourism as those seen in Austria.

Klub 500 chair Vladimir Sotak was happy with the results of the talks. Slovakia “has what it takes” to develop its tourism, but communication is a must. “On behalf of Klub 500, I can declare that we’re ready for the necessary communication,” underlined Sotak.

According to Slovak Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHRS) general manager Marek Harbulak, travel vouchers and reduced VAT in tourism are systemic tools that are regularly employed by other European countries. “Dividends from the development of tourism are enjoyed by everyone, whether they be clients, entrepreneurs in the tourism business, the state, towns or villages,” he added.