Economic balancing act for Mertlik

Aug. 5, 1998
Pavel Mertlik walks a tightrope stretched between not only regeneration of the Czech economy and the country's burdened budget but also between expectations and reality.
That puts Mertlik, the newly anointed deputy prime minister responsible for economic policy, in a difficult position. As the Social Democratic (CSSD) government considers cutting corporate taxes, Mertlik also is pushing for increased taxes on cigarettes, alcohol and gas. In addition, he is promoting industrial restructuring that likely will boost unemployment.
It's the kind of talk that many investors have been waiting to hear. But Czechs, Mertlik said, may be baffled.