Kamenicky: Simplifying Tax and Levy Payment Key Task of Financial Administration

Bratislava, December 18 (TASR) - Simplifying the payment of taxes and levies and making the fight against tax evasion more effective will be the basic priorities for Financial Administration (FS - the tax office) with regards to a €400-million shortfall in the amount of VAT collected, said Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) and new FS president Jozef Kiss at a joint press conference on Monday.
        "FS is the state's wallet, and given the condition in which the former government left public finances for us, this is an essential area. I need it to collect taxes in an effective manner, but there are also other problems that need to be addressed. We'll deal with customs offices so that Slovakia's eastern border will be strengthened," said Kamenicky.
        There's a need to continue to digitise, said the minister, adding that e-kasa helped to improve the amount of tax collected. "Today we have a VAT tax gap of slightly below 10 percent. It decreased during my previous tenure, and I hope that it will continue to decline," he said.
        Kamenicky also spoke about the introduction of so-called e-invoices, which would make it easier for entrepreneurs to fill in their tax returns in advance. "I'll hold meetings with FS at which it will present me with a plan for how to carry out this measure," he said.
        The minister stressed the need to make the collection of taxes more effective. He plans to transfer some human capacities to it, adding that audits of processes will be carried out as well, as some of them are duplicated.
        "We'll lack some €400 million when it comes to collecting VAT. So this is the area on which we want to focus. We want to take measures that would make enforcing the law more effective, especially for entities that deliberately avoid paying taxes," said Kiss.