Ljubljana, 13 November (STA) - Calls for lower taxes and a more entrepreneurial mindset were at the centre of addresses delivered at Monday's main event of the five-day Festival of Entrepreneurship hosted for the second time by he Slovenian Business Club. If needed, the necessary changes will be forced on the government, the event heard.
"We are really not happy with the current situation in the country," the club's president Joc Pečečnik said in the wake of what have been a series of government measures shouldering business with additional responsibilities.
"Our club will do everything in our power to prepare programmes and concrete solutions which we will submit to the government and, if necessary, we will force it to accept them," the gaming machines businessman added.
He said that the priory areas will be tax reform and changes to the wage system to ensure higher wages and competitiveness in attracting labour.
Vice-president Igor Akrapovič spoke of a continuing "exodus of young and highly qualified staff". Slovenia has become one of the most unstimulating economic environments, with countries from Eastern and Southern Europe catching up and overtaking us, he said. He pointed to Serbia and Montenegro, which he argued have much more progressive views on entrepreneurship.
"We are extremely worried," added the owner of exhaust maker Akrapovič, who like Pečečnik is among the wealthiest Slovenians. "We are really hoping that something will turn, otherwise, unfortunately, we all have our own alternative solutions," said Akrapovič, who sees high payroll taxation as the main problem.
The speakers argued a more stimulative business environment would end up generating more revenue for the budget and that other countries are addressing the approaching hard times with a lowering of taxes.
Pečečnik moreover spoke of a continuing political impasse in the country, where each government spends the first two years in office retaliating against the previous government and then fails in attempts to change anything because a change in power happens too soon.
