Sulik: If Matovic Can't Draw Up State Budget, He Should Consider Changing Jobs
Bratislava, June 1 (TASR) – If Finance Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) isn’t able to put a state budget together, it’s a sign of his incompetence, and he should think about changing his job, said Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) leader and Vice-Premier Richard Sulik on Wednesday, adding that claims that the state budget for next year may be a problem to draw up are an attempt at blackmail.
The party has previously stated that an inability to draw up the budget isn’t a reason for the Government to fall but for the finance minister to be replaced.
“It’s primarily a sign of the finance minister’s incompetence, and perhaps if he can’t manage such a task, he should consider whether he should change his job,” said Sulik following the Government session. In a discussion with Dennik N daily, Matovic admitted that he won’t be able to draw up the state budget if SaS doesn’t agree to an adjustment of taxes. He also mentioned the potential break-up of the governing coalition in the autumn.
Sulik called Matovic’s words blackmail and coercive practices. “We consider it to be gross, primitive blackmail when Igor Matovic first pushes through expenditures worth billions with abundant help from the fascists and then informs the public that he can’t draw up the budget. It shouldn’t be done like that, we don’t agree with it. If Igor Matovic knows today that he won’t be able to draw it up, he should pray that the president vetoes the package. It’s a billion euros that will be missing,” he added.
Meanwhile, the For the People party considers such messages via the media to be pointless because they only frustrate the public. “According to the logic of SaS, someone could again ask for the economy minister [Richard Sulik] to be replaced because oil and gas are expensive,” For the People head and Vice-Premier Veronika Remisova told TASR, adding that ensuring sound public finances and a balance between state budget revenues and expenditures is a task of the entire government and coalition.
