By: Dr. Metod Berlec
At the end of 2024, just before the Christmas and New Year holidays, Golob’s government made yet another announcement that bodes no good and reflects its socialist, predatory mindset – to tax people as much as possible.
It discussed the “foundations for the second tax package”. The new property tax is expected to be paid by owners of two or more residential properties with the goal of increasing housing accessibility, Prime Minister Robert Golob stated after the government session. The anticipated revenue of 600 million euros is also to be allocated toward reducing the burden on labour, specifically salaries. This was done by the Janša government at the end of its previous term, but the new Golob government vehemently reversed it, as it did with all measures of the previous government. The foundations for property taxation were prepared by the Ministry of Finance because, according to Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič, Slovenia has been facing significant challenges in the housing sector for some time, such as the grey rental market, a shortage of rental housing, the accumulation of properties for investment purposes, and the renting of properties for short-term stays. The Ministry of Finance’s and the government’s foundations foresee that a tax rate of 1.45% of the generalised property value, as assessed by the Surveying and Mapping Authority, will be imposed on apartments, houses, and building plots. The tax will apply to properties on Slovenian territory, for both individuals and legal entities, including foreign nationals.
This government proposal for the new law has understandably sparked numerous reactions. Political scientist Dr Miro Haček wrote on the X platform: “Instead of adopting better legislation to protect landlords from irresponsible tenants and tenants from exploitative and unfair landlords, we are getting a new tax. The government is not really seeking solutions to the housing crisis but rather a new source for filling the budget. Rental prices will only get higher. Absurd.” Regarding the claim by the Minister of the Economy and SD president Matjaž Han that their goal is “fair taxation, but above all more net income for employees in our country,” former ministers Dr Žiga Turk and Dr Matej Lahovnik also responded on X. The first wrote: “This is that corruption. You design a tax so that most people do not pay it. This majority then votes to have the minority pay for them. It works for a while. But then the minority asks, ‘Who is John Galt?’ Or something worse.” The second stated: “The most perverse part is that they designed the property tax so that those with the most expensive properties will not even pay it, and they still dare to talk about fairness.” Former head of FURS, Dr Ivan Simič, also commented earlier: “People ask me how to get a home. My answer is: Work 12 hours a day, on weekends and holidays 8 hours, buy a home, go to the bank for a loan, pay it off for 25 years, and eventually, it will be yours. That is the path of the diligent. Or you can come to power, tax the diligent, and take their property.” In summary, this is a “tax on diligence”, or as economist Dr Lahovnik also wrote: “They do not want to tax all properties; the most expensive ones will not be taxed. Instead, they will tax, for example, the second property of two pensioners who worked hard to build a weekend house in the countryside in addition to their apartment, while luxury apartments in Schellenburg (in Ljubljana) where the ‘elite’ will register their residence will not be taxed.”
Of course, the announcement of the new property tax, expected to be passed by the end of 2025 and take effect in 2026, may at this point be nothing more than a smokescreen, a bone to chew on, with which the ruling left-wing nomenclature seeks to divert attention from other, serious problems. Numerous state systems and subsystems are facing serious difficulties. Recently, chaos in the police force and the Centre for Protection and Security has been at the forefront, where numerous irregularities have occurred. This is an attempt to divert attention away from Senad Jušić and Boštjan Poklukar. The first was appointed as the General Director of the Police based on an illegal decision, while the second is far from competent for his ministerial function. As a result, criminal organisations are “dancing” in our country, as demonstrated by the recent mafia murder on the outskirts of Ljubljana. Under the current government, the Slovenian state has found itself on the edge of an abyss. It is increasingly endangered. The foundations on which it was built are at risk. Thus, in the closing days of the Christmas-New Year holidays, it is time for a broad reflection on how to move forward. Once again, the time has come for new contributions to the Slovenian national programme. These are already being drafted at the initiative of intellectuals gathered in the Cathedral of Freedom. It is time for a liberated Slovenia! Best wishes, Slovenia!
P.S. All the best in 2025!