Entrepreneurs say reform measures would harm small businesses
Published:
5 December 2003 y., Friday
Though President Vaclav Klaus' vetoes of a pair of finance reform bills late in November caused a stir in Czech political circles (See story, page A10), they were hailed by another influential group - this country's entrepreneurs and businesspeople.
"We welcome the move," said Pavel Bernasek, vice-chairman of Prague-based exporter Ecimex Group. "The state shouldn't support the failing health care system by taxing employers."
One bill vetoed by Klaus mandates higher health insurance payments by employers.
The Czech Chamber of Commerce has warned that public-finance reform will mainly weaken small businesses, a group that is endangered by the looming European Union entry. The Czech state is heading down a bumpy road with its tax policy, critics say.
The government is looking to reduce the deficit this year and not in the years to come, said American Chamber of Commerce President Weston Stacey, calling the reform short-sighted.
Compared to its neighbors, the Czech Republic has a relatively high corporate tax rate. All candidate countries intend to lower their rates. Slovakia's government recently approved a flat rate of 19 percent, to take effect next year. A proposal in Hungary aims to slash corporate tax from the current 18 percent to 16 percent. Meanwhile, the Czech government is discussing a gradual push downward from 31 percent to 24 percent by 2006.
Šaltinis:
praguepost.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The European Commission has approved, under EC Treaty state aid rules, an amendment to a Lithuanian scheme allowing aid to be granted of up to €500 000 per company, initially approved on 8 June 2009.
more »
As agreed by the President of the European Commission and the President of the Russian Federation during the last EU-Russia Summit in Khabarovsk, the EU and Russia have strengthened the current dispositions under the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue to prevent and manage potential energy crises, with an enhanced Early Warning Mechanism.
more »
The European Union has today presented to the World Trade Organization the trade facilitation projects it has financed between 2006 and 2008.
more »
The European Commission has authorised, under the EC Treaty’s rules on state aid, a planned state guarantee by Romania to enable Ford Romania SA to access a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
more »
The economic crisis has left many countries with budget deficits well over the 3% limit. The commission is proposing deadlines for reducing the gaps.
more »
Statistics Lithuania informs that in October 2009, against September, prices for consumer goods and services went down by 0.4 per cent.
more »
Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Šarūnas Adomavičius took part in bilateral political consultations with representatives from foreign affairs, commerce and transport ministries of the People’s Republic of China.
more »
Under the budgetary surveillance powers conferred by the EU Treaty, the European Commission today proposed to the Council to set 2013 as the deadline for the correction of the budget deficits in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Portugal.
more »
A joint partnership between the World Bank, the Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Ministry of Environment was launched in Moldova’s capital in the late days of October.
more »
World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick today joins senior officials from the Government of Singapore to launch a new global urban strategy that will guide Bank advisory services and financing in the sector over the next decade.
more »