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Appearing on a late night news show on the public broadcaster TV Slovenia just a day after being appointed, the minister of economic development and technology underscored the need for the burden of new measures, such as certified cash registers, to be evenly distributed.

The government announced on Thursday that certified cash registers would be introduced on 1 September next year as a means to crack down on tax evasion, but small businesses have been opposed to the measure, pointing to unregistered vendors as the biggest problem.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), which represents large and medium-sized companies, has been in favour of introducing such cash registers, but believes the measure should be accompanied by lower tax rates.

Commenting on the plan, Minister Počivalšek said the cabinet had already discussed the measure when he joined the rest of the team for the session on Thursday. He said that he himself was wavering between the Croatian model and the one in Austria, but did not think Slovenia was mature enough for Austria's.

While Croatia has a tough system of certified cash registers, Austria does not have a system of cash registers directly linked to the IT system of the national revenue service.

"However, progress is needed in the fight against shadow economy," the minister said, adding that it was not just cash registers what he had in mind. He also called for measures to enhance the rule of law and such that would affect everyone involved in the shadow economy.