The European Commission has announced an in-depth investigation into a tax on the food retail sector in Slovakia, citing concerns that certain exemptions from the tax give some retailers a selective advantage over their competitors.
The tax came into effect on 1 January, and the first payments were due to be made by the end of April.
However, the European Commission believes that the tax, in its current form, may be in breach of EU state aid rules, and it has issued an injunction requiring Slovakia to suspend the application of the measure until the Commission has concluded its assessment.