LACK OF POLITICAL WILL IS THE RESULT OF OUR ENVIRONMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS

In hotel Radisson Blu in Split, 20th National Counseling on Economy and Trade is taking place. On the first day there were several interesting panels among which a panel named „For Entrepreneurship without Obstacles“ stood out. Participants of the panel were Minister of Economy Tomislav Panenić, Minister of Business and Trade and the host of the conference Darko Horvat, president of CRANE Davorin Štetner, vice president of Croatian Chamber of Economy Tomislav Radoš, president of Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts Dragutin Ranogajec and CEO deputy of Croatian Employers’ Association Bernard Jakelić. In the panel multiple suggestions were maid on how to improve our economic ecosystem, and they tried to name the biggest problems for entrepreneurs.

„I think that in all these years there is no political will in Croatia to change the environment for entrepreneurs for the better. Entrepreneurs in Croatia are endangered species. For every regulation abolished, there are two new coming, and that is a horror for all entrepreneurs, especially for the beginners. The amount of bureaucracy is unbearable and a national consensus and joint will of all in high politics are needed if we want to change things. Ministers Horvat and Pavlović have a great will for changes and I thank them for their optimism and effort, but they too can not make a great deal on their own if they don’t have absolute support of the whole Croatian Government. I have a feeling that here the success is punished, which we can witness with the system of taxation of profit, which, when advance income tax is included, is more than 52%. This would not be a problem if there were not another hundred charges which are not called taxes but that is exactly what they are. Things can change quickly, but there has to be a will to do so.“ Said Davorin Štetner, president of CRANE and member of Presidents Council for Economic Affairs.

Panel was moderated by Cvetojević, member of CRANE’s Board Committee.