Economy

Economy

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I recently overheard an interview in which the irrationality of Slovaks who refuse to buy more economically advantageous electric cars was criticized. Quite often, I encounter the fact that owners of electric vehicles fail to look at this problem through the eyes of the average driver. First, it is important to realize that the average Slovak drives either a second-hand car or his old car. In September alone, 5,000 individually imported cars were registered in Slovakia.

Economy

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Russia’s economic landscape is under strain. In this interview, Martin Vlachynsky, an analyst from INESS, sheds light on the complexities of Russia’s current economic policies, their implications for businesses and ordinary citizens, and how the ongoing war continues to shape the country’s financial reality.

Economy

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In October, Bulgarian interim Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova held a press conference regarding the 2025 state budget and the medium-term framework for 2025–2028. The biggest surprise was the expert assessment, based on current policies and enacted legislation, which projected a nominal spending increase of BGN 18.1 billion in 2025. Such a significant rise, even as an expert projection, raises several questions:

Economy

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In November, the Institute for Market Economics’ (IME) introduced its White Paper, Unlocking Growth: The Path Forward After the Elections. But what are the goals we can realistically achieve in the medium term? Below, we present eight fundamental goals with a four-year horizon that are fully attainable and would significantly improve the country’s development potential and quality of life.

Economy

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The Institute for Liberal Studies publishes an analysis of the sweetened beverage tax by Jan Šincl and Martin Pánek entitled Sugar Tax’s Sour Grapes. The prevalence of obesity is rising globally and poses a significant challenge to the health of individuals and healthcare systems. The main factor causing obesity is not sugar. It is a combination of many factors, such as caloric intake and expenditure, exercise, dietary habits…

Economy

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One of the most frequently repeated electoral promises of the Civic Coalition and the Third Way in the parliamentary elections was the “depoliticization of state-owned enterprises.” This pledge was reflected in point 13 of the coalition agreement from November 10, 2023, which states, “One of the coalition’s priorities will be the depoliticization of state-owned companies by introducing clear recruitment criteria for managerial positions.”[1]

Economy

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In the face of the energy crisis, politicians’ neglect of the development and modernization of the Polish energy sector is becoming increasingly visible. Freezing electricity prices is a costly and short-term solution, resulting from neglect in this area. The Polish energy mix, overly dependent on coal, requires decisive modernization actions, which, however, because of current policies, are systematically delayed.

Economy

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The tax system has a profound impact on a country’s economic growth for two reasons. Firstly, in developed countries, taxes typically amount to the equivalent of one-third to even half of the GDP. Such a high level of taxation affects taxpayers’ economic activity. Secondly, for the state to collect taxes, it must maintain appropriate regulations defining the tax base and rates.