On 8th November 2022, members of the NC SR passed the draft amendment to Act No. 235/2012 Coll., on the Special Levy on Business in Regulated Sectors to the second reading. The aim of the draft is to raise additional funds for the state budget of the Slovak Republic, in view of the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
The special levy is compulsory for entities in regulated sectors whose economic result exceeds EUR 3,000,000. The draft contains an extension of the scope of entities that will be obliged to pay this levy to include many entities operating on the financial market on the basis of a licence from the NBS. These include e.g. financial intermediaries, securities traders and asset management companies. The amendment to the Act will also apply to entities providing broadcasting of programme services on the basis of a licence granted by the Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission. Including the company entrusted with the collection of tolls in Slovakia among the regulated entities has also been proposed.
Another proposed change is to stop the current gradual reduction of the levy rate and at the same time to increase the levy rate to 0.01 (from the original 0.00726). The amendment to the Act is proposed to take effect on the date of its promulgation.
However, the draft version of the law is not yet final, because an amendment was submitted in a modified version, which changes the above-proposed changes, such as lowering the levy rate or not expanding regulated entities.