Within AmCham Slovenia, seven advocacy committees are active, among them the Finance Committee, whose mission is to contribute to the creation of a predictable and competitive business environment. Only in a stable environment can companies achieve long-term growth, with tax policy acting as a stimulus rather than a barrier. Stability and predictability are the foundations of trust, transparency, and long-term planning – for both businesses and individuals.
Considering the announced changes to tax policy, we would like to highlight several key aspects. Although these changes are intended to address competitiveness and reduce labor costs, in their current form they may have the opposite effect: increasing uncertainty, reducing trust, and undermining the attractiveness of the business environment.
1.Property Tax
We welcome the government’s decision not to introduce a property tax in a hasty manner. However, we emphasize that constant announcements of its introduction followed by withdrawals create a sense of uncertainty and weaken trust in tax policy. Should a property tax be introduced in the future, it must be designed moderately, thoughtfully, and with long-term predictability, without sudden changes.
2. Introduction of a Mandatory Tax-Free Christmas Bonus (14th Salary)
The imposition of mandatory 14th salaries without consultation with employers reduces the competitiveness of the economy. Many companies already pay Christmas bonuses as a reward to employees, but making such payments mandatory may have the opposite effect, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.
For decades, the business community has been emphasizing the need to reduce the burden on labor. Measures to increase net salaries must be systemic and long-term, for example through tax relief on wages, the introduction of a development cap, an increase in the general allowance, or adjustments to income tax brackets. Isolated partial measures may provide short-term apparent benefits but create long-term pressure on companies and encourage the relocation of business activities abroad.
Moreover, the introduction of a mandatory Christmas bonus once again shifts the entire responsibility for improving the position of employees onto businesses, while the state has more effective tools at its disposal. With a thoughtful tax policy and reduction of wage burdens, the standard of living of employees could be sustainably improved, while the state would assume greater responsibility for economic stability through more efficient and responsible management of public funds. Introducing a mandatory Christmas bonus could also lead to the relocation of international companies to more favorable jurisdictions and consequently to fewer jobs in Slovenia.
3. Changes for Flat-Rate Sole Proprietors
The tax regime for flat-rate sole proprietors has undergone several significant changes in a short period of time. Rapid shifts in revenue thresholds (first reduced, then proposed to be increased again) and the elimination of flat-rate limited liability companies clearly demonstrate instability and unpredictability in the tax system.
AmCham Slovenia stresses the need to clearly distinguish between:
- entrepreneurs who are genuinely operating on the market and are socially insured through their activity, and
- pseudo self-employed individuals, who in practice represent disguised employment relationships and unfair competition.
Instead of constant changes, a stable, sustainable, and predictable framework is needed – one that prevents abuse but at the same time enables entrepreneurs to plan reliably in the long term.
4. Employee Profit Sharing
Companies have long supported the idea of involving employees in the sharing of success – either through profit-sharing schemes or employee stock options. Such mechanisms can strengthen motivation, loyalty, and a fairer distribution of success.
The proposed model of profit-sharing with 25% taxation may be a step in the right direction, but a comprehensive analysis of its impact on companies of different sizes is required. Small and medium-sized enterprises will find it harder to adapt to the same requirements as large companies. Therefore, the framework must be designed in a way that genuinely incentivizes employee rewards without jeopardizing company stability. In this context, it would make sense to enable a progressive model of profit-sharing that takes into account the size and financial capacity of a company, flexibility in the choice of reward format (cash payments or equity/shares), additional tax incentives for companies introducing profit-sharing or stock option schemes, and simple administrative procedures for the implementation of these measures.
As we have repeatedly stressed, it is essential that changes to the tax environment are systemic, carefully considered, and long-term. Short-term and piecemeal solutions, adopted without comprehensive analysis, create uncertainty, weaken competitiveness, and undermine the middle class, while increasing the risk of capital and talent outflow.
AmCham Slovenia therefore calls for future tax changes to be developed in open dialogue with the business community and social partners. Only a stable, competitive, and predictable tax framework can enable long-term growth, innovation, and sustainable development of the Slovenian economy.
In the spirit of open dialogue, AmCham Slovenia offers its knowledge and experience and proposes joint efforts to find solutions for creating a stable and competitive business environment.
predsednika Vlade RS; na Odbor za finance in na Odbor za gospodarstvo.
Document submitted to the Ministry of Finance; Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport; the Office of the Prime Minister; the Committee on Finance; and the Committee on the Economy.
