Now Is Best Time for Slovakia to Do Away with Semi-Gross Wage
According to a representative survey commissioned by the economic think-tank INESS, very few Slovaks know what employer levies are paid today, or what their actual amount is.
Tobacco Tax: Taxes at Any Price
People will stick with cigarettes, which, although more harmful than the alternative, will bring more taxes into the state coffers. After three years, tobacco tax increases are back on the table. In English, it is known as the “sin tax”. Similar to the tax on alcohol or beer. The public perceives these taxes as a way for consumers of addictive substances to ‘pay’ for their sins. The truth is that smokers pay a lot.
Slovak Finances: Politicians’ Appetite Grows with Crises
Some respected economists identified the issue of consolidation in public budget already in 2022 as a third-order problem. From an analytical point of view, he is, of course, right. A one-year deficit of 10% of GDP is nothing compared to a permanent two to five per cent deficit in the pension system with a declining workforce.
Income Equality in Slovakia
The financial wealth of Slovaks is calculated in about tens of thousands of euros, as a matter of fact, the wealth of Slovaks lies in the bricks of their houses. A house or a flat is a money-making property only for a very small number of Slovaks. Income from capital will push the inequality rate higher.
Will Tax Brake Protect Citizens’ Wealth in Slovakia?
The next five years will be crucial. Public finances should come out of huge deficits, and the lesson from the previous crisis is clear. Tax increases will never be temporary. Pulling the tax brake can serve as an additional “austerity” argument in the discussion on lowering the deficit.
REVIEW #12: Slovakia Versus Carbon Taxes: A Serious Substitute for Existing Taxation or a New Tax Load?
The final effect of the carbon tax is determined by the way in which additional resources are handled. Every tax results in reallocation of scarce resources for purposes less desired by consumers. Not only do taxes diminish the utility of a consumer, but they also have a negative impact on economic growth.
With Kurzarbeit for Large Debts in Slovakia
Slovak large-scale employers want the highest possible wage compensation, looking up to the German or Austrian Kurzarbeit system, which covers up to 85% of wage costs. Journalists and some economists argue that we should borrow as much as we can.
REVIEW #10: Two Steps Forward, One Backward [AFTERWORD]
Over the last decades, the post-socialist bloc countries have seen significant economic growth. The transformation to the market economy gradually yields its fruits, the unemployment rate in each of these countries, now also members of the EU, is lower than the average unemployment rate of the Eurozone.
Slovak Government Shopping for Investors
Automotive industry plays one of the most important roles in economies of the Visegrad Group countries. The sector became the regional leader in export and a reason for close ties among countries. Hyundai Kia in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is a textbook example of how one company ignores artificial national borders.
The Inconspicuous Charm of Hidden Tax Increases
The system of concealing the actual amount of employee contributions (employers’ contributions) and the transfer of the obligation to tax returns and the calculation of contributions and taxes to the employer, made the employees fiscally illiterate.
