By: Dr Štefan Šumah
When psychologist Kristijan Musek compared Slovenians with other nations, he found that we are even slightly more introverted than the British, who, according to international comparisons, are relatively more introverted. Similar levels of introversion are also attributed to Central European and Scandinavian nations. The results of the study confirm the proverbial notion that Slovenians, compared to their more extroverted neighbours—nations of the former Yugoslavia, Serbs, Dalmatians, Bosnians, Macedonians—are considered to be closed, serious, melancholic, and inward-looking.
Regarding neuroticism, Musek finds that the Slovenian nation falls into the group of Central European countries, so we could say that we are averagely neurotic, or even neurotic to the extent comparable to Austrians. This means that we are slightly more neurotic compared to Mediterranean and South Slavic nations, but somewhat less so in comparison with Eastern European nations, Americans, Egyptians, Indians, and Koreans. Typical traits of neuroticism are said to be sensitivity, resentment, quarrelsomeness, and envy. To this emotional instability, one could also add tendencies towards depression, melancholy, self-condemnation, meticulousness, and pedantry in fulfilling duties.
And it is precisely envy that socialism, with its calls for equality (primarily in terms of income), has successfully amplified. God forbid that the neighbour should have more. And this “extreme” left continues to amplify this even today. In Slovenia, everything is forgiven except for financial success. And that is why the blows to our wallets hurt less because we know that those who earn more than us will be hit even harder. Therefore, a large part of the Slovenian electorate displays a certain kind of inherent masochism, as it would be hard to otherwise explain the trait of a person who votes for someone who promises higher taxes before the elections.
And this masochism is also reflected in the silent acceptance of the increasing restriction of freedoms, limitation of free speech, and reduction of personal safety… In short, it seems that we Slovenians are prepared to endure a lot due to envy. Boscarol and Akrapovič are just disruptions in the system for us. Disruptions in the sense that they have companies in Slovenia, which they founded themselves, that they are therefore rich from their work, and that they are in Slovenia. And because they are rich in Slovenia, it is only right that they are taxed heavily.
Especially leftists, who mostly live off taxpayers’ money, forget that many successful Slovenians have moved their domicile to other countries precisely because of high taxes. And instead of paying taxes at home, they pay them elsewhere to keep more for themselves.
Just one simple example. Pogačar, whom we are all proud of being from Slovenia, earns about 5 million euros a year, has his domicile in Monaco, and pays up to 8% tax on this amount there, which is about half a million. Slovenia, however, gets absolutely nothing from this. If he lived in Slovenia, the state would take about half of it through income tax (almost 2.5 million euros). The decision about domicile is therefore very rational. However, if we were smart and not so envious, we could keep the existing income tax scale for amounts up to one million (which is already very high) and set a cap of 5% for amounts over one million. That way, if Pogačar stayed in Slovenia, he would pay about 800,000 euros in tax instead of 2.5 million.
In this case, probably not only Pogačar but also many others would not flee to tax havens and would prefer to pay taxes in Slovenia. And not just Slovenians; in such a case, Slovenia would become attractive to wealthy citizens of other countries who would likely willingly move their wealth to Slovenia. And not only that, people would probably also invest some of their money in Slovenia. However, such low taxes are considered blasphemy to our leftists, and they prefer to remain without the money that would flow into the state coffers through taxes rather than allow someone to become rich, even if it is through their own work.
But our “extreme” left in the government does not care; the important thing is to strip people to the bone in the name of solidarity, which it really is not, while successfully cultivating envy. So, we are left without Pogačar as well as his millions, and we prefer to have nothing rather than introduce taxes based on common sense.