SaS: We Won't Support Any Easing of Debt Brake

Bratislava, July 11 (TASR) – The Opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party won’t support any loosening of the debt brake, stated SaS vice-chair Jana Kissova at a press conference in Bratislava on Tuesday in reference to the Government’s plan to relieve the debt brake.

“We won’t change what is functioning, what is helping Slovakia, what is holding the irresponsible politicians at bay, just because the Government cannot reasonably manage money,” said Kissova, adding that the Government doesn’t have enough money for some projects, not due to a debt brake, but because it has been indebting itself and wasting money irresponsibly for nearly a decade.

According to Kissova, the governing Smer-SD party isn’t playing a fair game in this issue. “If the brake is relieved, it (Smer-SD) will have money for its projects and will score politically. If the brake isn’t loosened, it will accuse the Opposition of not having enough money for its projects,” she said, adding that Smer-SD only wants to gain more support.

Eugen Jurzyca of SaS noted that Slovakia already has high debt and has therefore been put on the sanction zone list. “Not to increase the debt, we have to reduce it significantly,” said Jurzyca. He went on to say that if the debt brake is loosened to pay for motorway projects, other sectors and municipalities will ask for the extra money as well.

According to Jurzyca, the Government should get money from the well-functioning economy. “We’ve been submitting for a long time dozens or even hundreds of measures to improve the economy and generate healthy money as opposed to debt,” he said.

SaS at the press conference also called on other Opposition parties not to support the loosening of the debt brake in Parliament. As it’s a constitutional bill, as many as 90 votes are needed to amend it. So, the coalition MPs will also need the Opposition’s votes.