German-owned companies urge lower taxation of labour
German companies have a positive outlook for the future, praising Slovenia's excellent local suppliers, good conditions for research and development, and a qualified labour force. Also noticed in the past year was progress in political stability.
The president of the Slovenian-German Chamber of Commerce Gertrud Rantzen however pointed to the issues that persist and mentioned that access to highly qualified workers had deteriorated compared to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Also down is the assessment of the education system.
LPKF Laser&Electronics boss Wolfgang Zeike described taxation of wages as disastrous, saying it demotivated people. He was critical of the average wage being higher in Slovenia in the public than in the private sector.
Tomaž Lanišek of Knauf Insulation added that "when we manage to convince foreigners to come work for us, things come to a halt not because of the gross wage but because of the net wage".
Zeike called for a cap on social contributions, while Lanišek urged stability when it comes to incentives such as the R&D benefits that have allowed Knauf to keep its production of rock wool in Slovenia.
Rantzen said lower taxation of labour was urgent, while she also sees a need to change the education system, which has to do more do adapt to the wishes and needs of companies creating added value.
Moreover, to attract more foreign capital, it will be necessary to preserve good conditions for investment, research and development, and secure tax benefits for highly skilled workers.