By: Tanja Brkić / Nova24tv
“The SD party demands a just Europe without tax havens and evasion,” Tanja Fajon wrote in one of her previous posts on the social network, after which she invited Sandi Češko to take part, who took over the management of the economic policy of the Social Democrats on her initiative. Ironically, she decided to work with a man known for his relocations of companies to different countries with a tax-friendly environment, and the purpose of this is clear to everyone. And while some in this case suspect suspicion of tax evasion, Tanja Fajon calls it “ethical economics”.
According to Tanja Fajon, she invited Sandi Češko to participate because he is a successful entrepreneur who believes in ethical economics, which is ironic given Češko’s relocations of empires to well-known low-tax countries – the Netherlands and Cyprus. And especially because Češko is a long-time member of the SD and publicly advocates high taxes, which otherwise stifle the economy. Which is absurd because the SD is advocating for a Europe without tax evasion and havens.
And how not to poke one’s nose into the fact that ethical economics is discussed on the one hand by one of the richest Slovenians, Sandi Češko, who first moved his company to the Netherlands, which years ago was considered a tax-friendly environment for large international concerns with the aim of “earning more and paying less or nothing”. On the other hand, Tanja Fajon, who has repeatedly proved to Slovenia that everything is more than ethical, and in this case hypocritical.
From the Netherlands to Cyprus
Later, the ownership of the Dutch company Studio Moderna Founders I B. V. was transferred to the Cypriot company (Kanatol Holdings Limited, based in Nicosia), which is still European, but the tax regime there is more favourable than in other countries, and due to tax secrecy, the owners of companies and real estate are hiding. “It is a business move. Cyprus is not a tax haven, it only has a favourable tax environment,” tax adviser Darko Končan commented for the media on the relocation of Sandi Češko to Cyprus.
“It is not all about lower tax rates, a more transparent state is more important,” said Češko, who has moved his company to a country with one of the most non-transparent tax laws. The family of Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković also has their mailboxes there.
Cyprus is a haven for tax evaders
Tax havens are diverse, but all share two characteristics: low taxes (if any) and non-transparency of legislation, which is great for concealing assets, which is ironic considering Česko’s media statement: “It is not all about lower tax rates, a transparent country is more important,” while moving his company to Cyprus, a well-known European tax haven with non-transparent legislation which was famous in the past for being a solution for many who wanted to avoid paying taxes and hide their money or transfer it on the basis of fictitious transactions. To alleviate the tax burden, everyone had to go to the capital of Nicosia (where the seat of Češko’s empire was also located).
Tanja Fajon, who is the second part of this ironic puzzle and an obvious fighter against tax evasion, redefined Češko’s business into “ethical economy”. Considering that ethics is a set of moral values, and that Tanja Fajon has proven to Slovenia several times in the past that she does not have them or that she lacks some of them, her decision really does not surprise us. However, they have one thing in common with Češko, namely a kind of “economy” regarding her earning a Brussels salary from Slovenia. As an MEP, by definition, she should be present in Brussels, at the location of her work, but she earns one million euros gross from Slovenia in one term. Journalist Luka Perš also wrote about this some time ago, saying that Fajon does not violate any rules on paper, but according to Brussels sources, her work as an MEP is still extremely unhygienic and un-European.