Is the Introduction of Meal Vouchers the Opening of a “Pandora’s Box”?

The analysis identifies two main flaws. First, the explanatory note describes the problem to be solved only vaguely, citing fiscal, social and economic issues, such as higher VAT revenue from a smaller informal economy and growth of the food retail sector. Internationally, however, meal vouchers address a clear social problem: ensuring people’s access to food. The effects listed in the note are side effects, not the core issue of feeding employees.

The second and more serious omission is that the draft does not show how vouchers would solve the identified problems, and offers no evidence on their advantages and limitations despite extensive international experience. It leaves unanswered what the impact would be, what costs the state would bear, and whether alternatives exist, such as raising the tax deductibility ceiling for employees’ food expenses, which could have a far more noticeable effect.