Martin Vlachynsky

Analyst at the INESS. After previous cooperation, he joined INESS as a new member in 2012. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Administration of the Masaryk University in Brno, and subsequently completed his master's degree at the University of Aberdeen. He deals with economic policy, business environment and competitiveness, especially in healthcare, retail and energy. His regular projects include the Bureaucratic Index and the Health for Money Index

Economy, Liberal Voices Syndicated

Haunted by State Aid

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND Liberal Voices Syndicated / May 28, 2020

There are relatively strict and complex state aid rules applied across the developed world. In the EU database alone, there are no less than 33,000 such cases of reported or investigated state aid cases in the last 20 years.

Economy

How Brave Will New Slovak Government Be?

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / March 13, 2020

The epidemic of good advice, tips, challenges, and recommendations for the new Slovak government is much stronger than the viral one. There are many things to fix, to improve, and especially – to save.

Society

Who Will Drive Slovak Drug Ferrari?

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / December 20, 2019

Slovak public has recently experienced number of front-page stories about patients, who were refused payment for innovative highly expensive drugs by health insurance companies. Stories, which attracted a lot of emotions and stirred the public and which are vanguard of much bigger future troubles in public healthcare.

Society

Policy Win: Fight for Cheaper (and Less) License Plates in Slovakia

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / September 2, 2019

In Slovakia, one of the least popular offices is the Police Traffic Inspectorate, and, more specifically, the Vehicle Registration Department. Yes, you read it correctly – Slovakia is one of three countries in EU28 where the vehicle registry agenda is fully run by the police.

Society

INESS Publishes New Index: Health for Money

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / July 29, 2019

INESS created a brand new index called Health for Money, which rates healthcare in 26 countries, having also money in focus. The index touches also academia, measuring number of quotable medical papers from the country, or international rankings of faculties of medicine.

Economy

Retailer Tax in Slovakia Abolished

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / April 26, 2019

Several East European countries have been flirting with various forms of a “retailer tax”. A tax similar (but not equal) to VAT, or the sales tax. Its proclaimed aim is typically to “punish” international retail chains, which have been repeatedly blamed for problems of local farmers and local food and beverages industry.

Economy

Retail Chain Tax in Slovakia: Scary for the Big, Hammering the Small

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / October 29, 2018

The Slovak government’s intention is to lower the market power of large international retail chains. Unfortunately, the alleged problems are mostly made-up. Instead, the \"retail chain tax\" may end up raising the food prices and wrecking havoc in Slovak retail.

Economy

Automakers Good, Merchants Bad

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / July 18, 2018

Mankind has made unbelievable progress in the last one hundred years. From horse carriages to moon landings, from typhus epidemics to molecular genetics, from conservative patriarchate to gay marriages. One thing does not change though – the suspicion, or even hate towards merchants.

Economy

Slovak Farmers Are Entrepreneurs

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / May 22, 2018

Do not be fooled by the vast yellow fields of rapeseed in Slovakia. The agricultural sector is a zombie, living on subsidies instead of fresh brains. There are a few exceptions (like the successful tomato growers), but the overall numbers are harsh.

Economy

How Much Would a Simple Tax Reform Cost in Slovakia?

BY Martin Vlachynsky AND INESS / April 17, 2018

Paying the advanced tax in Slovakia is a bureaucratic burden, since an entrepreneur has to take care of the regular payments. But there is a bigger problem. An entrepreneur has to pay the advanced tax from her/his current income – but the payment size is set according to her/his last year’s tax.