Premier: Personal Attacks Counterproductive, Government Should Provide Results

Bratislava, June 1 (TASR) – I don’t consider the exchanges between some members of the Government to be fortunate, but I believe that they can find consensus on controversial issues in the end, said Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) on Wednesday in response to the current disputes between Finance Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) and Economy Minister Richard Sulik (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS).

Sulik and Matovic have been arguing over the use of funds from Russian oil taxation and financial coverage for assistance to families.

According to the premier, personal attacks are counterproductive, and the Government’s main responsibility is to produce specific results for the public.

“I don’t like it, and I don’t think it’s right when we don’t provide factual arguments but prefer personal attacks instead,” said Heger, adding that he isn’t going to replace the ministers, however. “I’ll change them if they don’t achieve results,” he noted.

With regard to SaS’s stance, which rejects any tax increase, Heger pointed out that there was no such commitment in the Government Manifesto. “We agreed to reduce taxes on the labour side and to increase taxes on the side of property, consumption and negative externalities,” said the premier.

Heger rejected Sulik’s general statement that the finance minister hasn’t covered the costs of financing the already-approved package of anti-inflation aid for families, stressing that Matovic pointed to the sources. According to him, Sulik should specify which of Matovic’s statements aren’t true.