Prices of bread should drop from January next year thanks to a decrease in VAT, claimed Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at a briefing on World Bread Day on Wednesday.
Currently, the lowest bread prices in some chains reach over €1.6 per kilo, rising from the original 83-90 cents over several years.
"I know that there are many arguments from, for instance, traders that prices are formed differently, but I think that if they say everything will be more expensive with 23-percent VAT, 5-percent VAT on food should press the prices of these items down," said Fico, not ruling out the possibility that eggs and food for coeliacs could be included in the list of foodstuffs with 5-percent VAT rate.
The Prime Minister praised the work of bakers and promised that he and the Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) will do everything possible to ensure that owners of bakeries have good relations with traders so that they can make money and at the same pay decent salaries to their employees.
Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) on Wednesday signed a memorandum with the Union of Trade and the Slovak Union of Bakers, Confectioners and Pasta Makers, with the parties aiming to increase the share of home-made pastries on shelves in shops, as approximately 50 percent of these products are currently imported from abroad in the form of semi-finished products.
Head of the Union of Bakers Milan Lapsansky noted in this vein that Slovak bakeries have sufficient capacity to supply the domestic market. "A question arises for traders whether they should consider preferring Slovak producers in the future... also with regard to the carbon footprint. After all, it is not reasonable to import semi-finished products from Belgium," Lapsansky opined.
According to head of the Union of Trade Filip Kasana, traders want to develop relationships with domestic bakers and supply people with products they are used to. "Domestic production is a guarantee of quality, without placing these products on shelves in shops, it would be very difficult to get them into Slovak households. This is reality, which is why cooperation is very important," Kasana remarked.
On Tuesday President Peter Pellegrini met with representatives of the Slovak Bakers and Confectioners Association (SZPCC) at the Presidential Palace to mark the World Bread Day.
At the talks, the head of state and SZPCC discussed the current state of bakery production in Slovakia and potential impacts of consolidation measures on this field.
"I really value the work of our bakers, who bring fresh bread to our tables every day. Since time immemorial, the bread has always been considered a gift and a symbol of survival and generosity," said Pellegrini.
Source: TASR
