The City of Bratislava is tightening its belt to brace for hard times ahead, but it is also looking for additional revenues, including a hike of 20% in property tax.
Among other things, next year the city has to repay a debt of EUR 30 million, reports Pluska.sk, today, and the austerity measures will also mean less money for cleaning the already dog and pigeon shit littered streets.
The savings will mostly affect waste disposal, public lighting, culture and street cleaning, with Bratislava City Hall hoping to save around EUR 10 million in this way. The city also plans to raise another EUR 14 million or so by selling of some of its assets.
Regarding the 20% hike in property tax, Bratislava mayor Milan Ftacnik says that although initially this was supposed to target only industrial properties, several councillors wanted the higher taxes to affect also the residential segment.
Ftacnik is also hoping to get the thumbs up to issue municipal bonds, with the proceeds earmarked chiefly for development projects like building a swimming pool and cycling paths, among other things. The draft budget will be presented for approval to the City Council on 15 December.
“Shit happens” Quite a common expression amongst the Slovak business community here in Bratislava. Furthermore I have heard it said that the English royal family use the word “shite”, which has an almost poetical ring. Either way it is a normal word and one should not be afraid to use it. Come on chaps comment on the articles theme, not on bashing the person who is putting effort into giving us some pleasure.
quotes from someone is one thing, using it as ‘par for the course’ in standard news reports isn’t.
not a question of offence…..question of what a standard journalist would write.
If someone needs to use ‘shit’ for effect then their arsenal of language and expression is a tad depleted
David – PC gone mad. Relax and don’t take things so seriously – it’s a well written article making a valid point. If you take offence so easily, perhaps Winnie the Pooh would be more to your liking?
I am very offended! 🙂
No doubt I will get the ‘hypersensitive’ tag from the usual quarter (i.e. him)…but a ‘standard’ publication wouldn’t use the word ‘shit’, would it?
No David, does it offend you? It was used for effect