WEBVTT 00:00:04.201 --> 00:00:08.187 Dear guests, welcome to today's press conference in the wake 00:00:08.308 --> 00:00:12.747 of the coalition summit of MPs from the coalition 00:00:13.021 --> 00:00:15.174 and government ministers. 00:00:15.295 --> 00:00:19.148 We're joined by Prime Minister Golob, Foreign and European 00:00:19.269 --> 00:00:23.193 Tanja Fajon, the leader of the Left's parliamentary group 00:00:23.314 --> 00:00:26.806 Matej Vatovec and Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič. 00:00:26.927 --> 00:00:30.673 Today's summit was intended to analyze the tax situation 00:00:30.794 --> 00:00:34.634 and the reforms of the school system, the latter of which 00:00:34.773 --> 00:00:39.347 is still being debated. To tell you more, here's the Prime Minister. 00:00:39.461 --> 00:00:44.087 Thank you. Allow me to begin by addressing another topic. 00:00:44.215 --> 00:00:48.427 Yesterday, we again saw where hate speech leads to 00:00:48.548 --> 00:00:51.514 with an attack on activist Nika Kovač. 00:00:51.981 --> 00:00:58.474 We condemn in the strongest terms not just the perpetrator 00:00:58.668 --> 00:01:03.067 who carried out the attack, but also all those 00:01:03.188 --> 00:01:09.814 who encourage hate speech and verbal or physical violence, 00:01:09.981 --> 00:01:14.001 especially against women. This has become a common 00:01:14.135 --> 00:01:18.207 occurrence in Slovenia, and politicians should ask 00:01:18.341 --> 00:01:22.334 themselves whether it's right for them to take part in this. 00:01:22.475 --> 00:01:27.128 Unfortunately, many politicians are incapable of rational judgment. 00:01:27.249 --> 00:01:31.741 I again appeal on everyone to refrain from encouraging hate 00:01:31.861 --> 00:01:34.841 because that leads us nowhere. 00:01:35.008 --> 00:01:39.591 We've announced a step to combat this, which I'll now repeat. 00:01:39.765 --> 00:01:43.991 This Friday, the Strategic Council on Preventing Hate Speech 00:01:44.138 --> 00:01:46.141 will meet for the first time. 00:01:46.288 --> 00:01:52.021 Three interest groups will take part: 00:01:52.161 --> 00:01:55.261 representatives of the relevant ministries, 00:01:55.388 --> 00:01:59.914 individuals whom I'll invite to take part, 00:02:00.068 --> 00:02:03.667 and representatives from the NGO Center, 00:02:03.788 --> 00:02:05.988 who carried out a tender for this. 00:02:06.095 --> 00:02:09.994 The individuals I invited include Dragan Petrovec, 00:02:10.161 --> 00:02:13.881 as an eminent expert in this field, 00:02:14.041 --> 00:02:16.621 as well as Nika Kovač, whom I invited 00:02:16.748 --> 00:02:21.008 to lead the Strategic Council and to act as the National 00:02:21.129 --> 00:02:23.662 Coordinator for hate speech prevention. 00:02:23.781 --> 00:02:26.515 I can't think of a more appropriate person 00:02:26.601 --> 00:02:33.061 precisely because she is the most exposed victim of hate speech. 00:02:33.208 --> 00:02:36.081 Unfortunately, she isn't the only one. 00:02:36.515 --> 00:02:41.994 As mentioned, today's coalition summit had two topics. 00:02:42.115 --> 00:02:47.719 We introduced the planned changes to the tax code. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:53.534 The guidelines remain unchanged from what I have already announced. 00:02:54.001 --> 00:02:58.261 We know that Slovenia has some of the highest labor taxes 00:02:58.501 --> 00:03:03.791 in the world and some of the lowest property taxes. 00:03:04.295 --> 00:03:08.247 These realizations are important, but it's just as important 00:03:08.374 --> 00:03:12.907 to first determine the net income of individuals 00:03:13.028 --> 00:03:16.273 and only then to tackle any changes 00:03:16.394 --> 00:03:20.974 when we know the individual's true assets. 00:03:21.095 --> 00:03:25.461 The changes will be guided by transparency 00:03:25.574 --> 00:03:30.301 and a clear overview of the actual assets and income. 00:03:30.608 --> 00:03:35.367 This will be followed by changes to the income tax legislation and... 00:03:36.421 --> 00:03:39.161 changes to the property tax. 00:03:39.347 --> 00:03:43.801 According to the timeline, we'll try to start in 2024 00:03:43.975 --> 00:03:48.260 with changes to the income tax legislation to decrease 00:03:48.381 --> 00:03:54.027 the income tax burden, and proceed in 2025 with property tax reforms. 00:03:54.148 --> 00:03:59.014 We set up this timeline on purpose because the assessment 00:03:59.168 --> 00:04:01.887 of actual assets is somewhat more complex 00:04:02.034 --> 00:04:04.306 than the assessment of income. 00:04:04.427 --> 00:04:10.821 According to the guidelines, the current property tax, 00:04:10.948 --> 00:04:14.501 which falls under the responsibility of municipalities 00:04:14.661 --> 00:04:19.441 and is already in effect, will remain unchanged, 00:04:19.628 --> 00:04:25.281 so that things remain comparable to the current situation. 00:04:25.607 --> 00:04:31.380 That's our starting point. We have enough time until 2025. 00:04:31.501 --> 00:04:35.294 The debate will be public, transparent, and inclusive. 00:04:35.454 --> 00:04:38.353 We'll try to achieve a social consensus 00:04:38.474 --> 00:04:41.454 on how to collect enough tax revenue 00:04:41.601 --> 00:04:48.027 to reform Slovenia into an even fairer society. 00:04:48.121 --> 00:04:53.274 Taxes aren't intended for someone to do weird things with them. 00:04:53.395 --> 00:04:56.961 Their only purpose is for us to live 00:04:57.108 --> 00:05:00.240 in a socially just state, and that's why we're 00:05:00.361 --> 00:05:03.134 modifying the tax code. 00:05:03.634 --> 00:05:07.294 A few brief words regarding education reform. 00:05:07.928 --> 00:05:11.661 This debate is sometimes hidden from our eyes. 00:05:11.855 --> 00:05:15.614 The timeline is even longer, with some changes 00:05:15.761 --> 00:05:18.481 beginning in the 2023 school year, 00:05:18.634 --> 00:05:21.174 most of them being introduced in 2024, 00:05:21.381 --> 00:05:25.667 and some lasting until 2026. 00:05:26.035 --> 00:05:33.874 That's mostly because many curricula will finally begin to change. 00:05:35.368 --> 00:05:39.327 We need a large number of expert groups for this. 00:05:39.468 --> 00:05:42.434 I believe there are 216 just for curricula 00:05:42.581 --> 00:05:45.201 14 for high school programs, and so on. 00:05:45.321 --> 00:05:49.514 All this takes time, but it's one of the things we'll tackle 00:05:49.635 --> 00:05:54.027 and carry out by the end of this term. 00:05:55.114 --> 00:05:59.834 One of our key goals is to adapt schooling and the curriculum 00:06:00.008 --> 00:06:01.875 to the challenges of our age: 00:06:02.268 --> 00:06:05.847 a green, sustainable orientation on one hand 00:06:05.994 --> 00:06:09.267 and digital literacy on the other. 00:06:09.881 --> 00:06:12.934 That's it for now. -Thank you, Prime Minister. 00:06:13.055 --> 00:06:17.521 The next to speak is the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs. 00:06:17.668 --> 00:06:20.207 I would like to add my condemnation 00:06:20.361 --> 00:06:25.087 of yesterday's attack on the head of the March 8 Institute, 00:06:25.241 --> 00:06:31.874 Nika Kovač. Any such physical or verbal attack 00:06:32.001 --> 00:06:35.354 or expression of hate is unacceptable. 00:06:35.495 --> 00:06:38.841 I've frequently expressed my support of Nika Kovač, 00:06:39.008 --> 00:06:41.940 especially during the most recent campaign, 00:06:42.061 --> 00:06:46.340 which is about raising awareness with an emphasis on love. 00:06:46.508 --> 00:06:50.647 I call on everyone to refrain from hateful comments, 00:06:50.768 --> 00:06:57.358 low blows, insults, particularly those directed at women, 00:06:57.508 --> 00:07:02.287 which are totally unacceptable. Perhaps you'll now understand 00:07:02.421 --> 00:07:06.227 why we've recently talked so much about the need to ensure 00:07:06.401 --> 00:07:11.687 gender equality in Slovenia, while strengthening human rights, 00:07:11.881 --> 00:07:15.161 which include the rights of women and girls. 00:07:15.321 --> 00:07:19.728 Regarding today's discussion, I'd like to begin 00:07:19.855 --> 00:07:25.221 with changes to the tax code. 00:07:25.408 --> 00:07:30.494 We heard a good analysis with good starting points today. 00:07:30.615 --> 00:07:33.623 The coalition's guidelines are appropriate, 00:07:33.744 --> 00:07:36.281 and I'm satisfied with the discussion. 00:07:36.441 --> 00:07:40.021 We need to do two things first. We agree that we need 00:07:40.181 --> 00:07:43.387 to see a greater public impact of our spending. 00:07:43.541 --> 00:07:48.641 We need to boost public funding sources to cover the needs 00:07:48.801 --> 00:07:54.367 of all people, and we need to create a fairer system. 00:07:54.501 --> 00:07:58.674 This means that we must distribute the tax burden more fairly, 00:07:58.841 --> 00:08:03.567 so that those who have more will also pay more. 00:08:03.695 --> 00:08:08.587 This will undoubtedly be one of the most challenging reforms. 00:08:08.801 --> 00:08:12.654 It's never pleasant to talk about taxes, and these reforms 00:08:12.795 --> 00:08:15.714 will be both complex and much needed. 00:08:15.921 --> 00:08:20.681 Today, we agreed that we'll utilize different working groups, 00:08:20.868 --> 00:08:28.401 composed of experts and citizens, to achieve a broad social consensus, 00:08:28.548 --> 00:08:31.434 which such a reform needs. 00:08:31.695 --> 00:08:37.261 The only way to ensure the health of our public finances, 00:08:37.435 --> 00:08:43.021 and to carry out the plans we've promised over the past few months, 00:08:43.141 --> 00:08:49.055 is to finance these entitlements from taxes 00:08:49.195 --> 00:08:52.573 and contributions and not by increasing debt 00:08:52.694 --> 00:08:59.161 and deficit-spending. I believe we all agreed with this today. 00:08:59.355 --> 00:09:03.001 The recommendations of the Finance Ministry, 00:09:03.161 --> 00:09:07.767 based on the initial assessment of the Social Democrats, 00:09:07.961 --> 00:09:12.261 are ideas that we can support to a large extent, especially 00:09:12.441 --> 00:09:15.307 when it comes to property tax reform. 00:09:15.428 --> 00:09:19.054 The assessment of assets will be a difficult challenge. 00:09:19.194 --> 00:09:22.901 We also cautioned that recipients of capital gains 00:09:23.048 --> 00:09:26.447 should be taxed through progressive tax brackets 00:09:26.635 --> 00:09:31.621 instead of the current, unfair flat tax rate. 00:09:31.781 --> 00:09:35.914 This is the part about reform of the tax code. 00:09:36.162 --> 00:09:39.534 As for the modernization of the school system, 00:09:39.701 --> 00:09:43.687 based on the new circumstances and the fact that this issue 00:09:43.855 --> 00:09:47.641 has been ignored for years, I can only say that we heard 00:09:47.821 --> 00:09:51.067 some starting points, but the debate is ongoing, 00:09:51.248 --> 00:09:56.393 and we'll discuss the starting points and the timeline in detail 00:09:56.514 --> 00:10:00.747 over the next few weeks, but it's clear that we'll also need 00:10:00.914 --> 00:10:05.068 a broad consensus in this area. Without involving people, 00:10:05.235 --> 00:10:09.494 both experts and laypeople, in this discussion, 00:10:09.621 --> 00:10:13.894 we politicians, including the government with the opposition, 00:10:14.055 --> 00:10:17.161 won't be able to make these important changes 00:10:17.328 --> 00:10:20.187 to improve the lives of people. Thank you. 00:10:20.341 --> 00:10:25.101 And the representative of the Left, who is standing in for the minister. 00:10:25.295 --> 00:10:30.093 Hello. I would like to join in the condemnation of the attack 00:10:30.214 --> 00:10:33.414 on Nika Kovač. The Left strongly condemns all 00:10:33.535 --> 00:10:37.354 expressions of intolerance and acts of physical violence 00:10:37.521 --> 00:10:41.067 against individuals who hold different views. 00:10:41.228 --> 00:10:45.267 We've seen too many such incidents over the past few years, 00:10:45.428 --> 00:10:49.255 so we're happy to see the formation of a group 00:10:49.448 --> 00:10:56.108 that will work on establishing measures to limit 00:10:56.275 --> 00:10:58.767 such hate speech. 00:10:58.988 --> 00:11:02.764 We have many possibilities and plenty of latitude. 00:11:02.908 --> 00:11:06.074 It's right that everyone lives in a society 00:11:06.234 --> 00:11:10.121 where he or she can express an opinion without fear. 00:11:10.308 --> 00:11:14.134 As for the coalition summit, I'd like to point out 00:11:14.328 --> 00:11:17.701 that the Left is satisfied with the starting points 00:11:17.855 --> 00:11:21.861 presented by the Finance Ministry. It's an important step 00:11:22.035 --> 00:11:28.291 toward reforming the tax code by making it simpler 00:11:28.461 --> 00:11:33.587 and more transparent as well as, most significantly, fairer. 00:11:33.755 --> 00:11:39.574 It will be fairer because it will allow social needs 00:11:39.714 --> 00:11:45.101 of the 21st century to be met. We all know that we're facing 00:11:45.254 --> 00:11:49.367 numerous challenges brought on by the modern world, including 00:11:49.508 --> 00:11:55.214 the environmental crisis, but also other circumstances we face 00:11:55.381 --> 00:12:00.561 every day, such as our aging society and the lack 00:12:00.734 --> 00:12:03.287 of solidarity-oriented infrastructure. 00:12:03.448 --> 00:12:08.094 This makes tax reform important to redistribute wealth 00:12:08.241 --> 00:12:11.707 in a fairer manner and to reinvest it into society, 00:12:11.848 --> 00:12:16.214 so that people will have the most benefits from what we produce. 00:12:16.915 --> 00:12:19.927 As I said, the starting points presented here 00:12:20.035 --> 00:12:23.735 are a very good basis, and I feel that the dialog 00:12:23.861 --> 00:12:27.807 that took place at the summit moved in the right direction 00:12:27.968 --> 00:12:32.127 and shows that we can now make additional steps. 00:12:32.314 --> 00:12:38.434 As for the modernization of the education system, 00:12:38.588 --> 00:12:43.661 this is another important issue that is sadly often 00:12:43.821 --> 00:12:49.591 not among the top priorities 00:12:49.712 --> 00:12:56.101 but is crucial in our changing world if we want to ensure 00:12:56.222 --> 00:13:00.614 our children and others who are getting an education 00:13:00.775 --> 00:13:07.158 a successful journey through the education system. 00:13:07.341 --> 00:13:14.814 The ministry has prepared extensive debates, and I'm happy 00:13:14.975 --> 00:13:19.527 that one of the expert panels will be led by Dr. Vogrinc 00:13:19.715 --> 00:13:23.801 from the Faculty of Education and will be very broad-based 00:13:24.028 --> 00:13:29.094 in that it will identify the needs of our school system 00:13:29.268 --> 00:13:32.921 in terms of personnel and other changes. 00:13:33.081 --> 00:13:36.607 This is another coalition summit that has concluded 00:13:36.755 --> 00:13:39.701 with a positive view toward the future 00:13:39.834 --> 00:13:43.341 and that's how this coalition functions. -Thank you. 00:13:43.488 --> 00:13:47.707 And now, the eagerly awaited Finance Minister. 00:13:47.828 --> 00:13:50.847 Greetings on my behalf. 00:13:51.035 --> 00:13:54.867 As others have pointed out and as we had predicted, 00:13:55.001 --> 00:14:00.387 we presented our starting points for changes in the tax code today. 00:14:02.175 --> 00:14:07.627 The Finance Ministry has worked on these starting points 00:14:07.795 --> 00:14:12.421 since last year. As you know, we changed a part of the tax code 00:14:12.542 --> 00:14:17.194 last year. This affected five laws. 00:14:17.335 --> 00:14:21.954 What we're discussing now will probably affect more laws. 00:14:22.141 --> 00:14:29.847 A key finding is that the needs of society and the tax system 00:14:29.968 --> 00:14:34.858 no longer match, and there's growing discrepancy between the two. 00:14:35.015 --> 00:14:39.634 We wish to use the tax code to address 00:14:39.755 --> 00:14:47.474 these increasing needs of society. I'm glad we've agreed 00:14:47.721 --> 00:14:55.107 that the capabilities of the state are limited. 00:14:55.501 --> 00:14:58.941 As you know, fiscal rules are being reintroduced, 00:14:59.062 --> 00:15:03.527 so I'm happy we'll be able to take this into account when preparing 00:15:03.715 --> 00:15:07.935 the starting points for next year. As for the tax code changes 00:15:08.068 --> 00:15:12.114 themselves, an analysis of the current situation was the key. 00:15:12.288 --> 00:15:16.207 It turns out that for the past 20 years, we used amendments 00:15:16.348 --> 00:15:20.407 of various laws—and sometimes we even ran out of letters 00:15:20.594 --> 00:15:23.787 used for the amendments— 00:15:23.955 --> 00:15:27.287 to implement various partial solutions. 00:15:27.448 --> 00:15:32.361 We failed to look at ourselves in the mirror and examine 00:15:32.515 --> 00:15:36.895 the system as a whole. That's what we addressed today. 00:15:37.021 --> 00:15:40.108 Our analysis examined this. 00:15:40.268 --> 00:15:45.601 We didn't want to go too far. The key findings that we presented 00:15:45.768 --> 00:15:49.807 touch on two areas. The first is the income tax. 00:15:49.968 --> 00:15:56.294 This is where we feel the needs are the most acute. 00:15:56.461 --> 00:16:02.167 The Finance Ministry is advocating a transition to the system 00:16:02.288 --> 00:16:05.268 of net income taxation. 00:16:05.435 --> 00:16:12.207 This is a system based on tax relief rather than deductions. 00:16:12.328 --> 00:16:18.207 To a large degree, this will help make our system simple, 00:16:18.361 --> 00:16:25.701 transparent, and easy to understand, while preventing 00:16:25.848 --> 00:16:29.794 tax optimization in ways that were never intended. 00:16:29.968 --> 00:16:35.414 The second area is real estate. As we've mentioned, 00:16:36.134 --> 00:16:42.791 we're moving toward mostly progressive taxation. 00:16:43.221 --> 00:16:48.574 For the most part, this won't affect the majority 00:16:48.741 --> 00:16:53.907 of Slovenia's population. That's also the case with the other laws. 00:16:54.028 --> 00:16:57.861 We don't foresee major changes, but we should see 00:16:58.068 --> 00:17:03.994 easier use and tax relief, while one of our goals 00:17:04.128 --> 00:17:08.534 is to make the tax burden based on the economic 00:17:08.681 --> 00:17:11.821 situation of each individual. 00:17:12.028 --> 00:17:16.527 Today, we presented our starting points to the coalition. 00:17:17.221 --> 00:17:20.801 We've left things relatively open on purpose 00:17:20.948 --> 00:17:24.747 because we wish to continue the discussion. 00:17:24.888 --> 00:17:30.201 In the days and weeks to come, we'll open up the debate 00:17:30.361 --> 00:17:35.991 to both experts and the general public. 00:17:36.135 --> 00:17:39.541 As you know, taxes affect and interest everyone. 00:17:39.708 --> 00:17:43.981 We'd like to be transparent and clear. 00:17:44.121 --> 00:17:49.391 That's why our timeline looks the way the Prime Minister described it. 00:17:49.528 --> 00:17:53.774 We'd like to take enough time for the areas that are the subject 00:17:53.955 --> 00:17:58.495 of most speculation. The goal is a reformed 00:17:58.608 --> 00:18:05.847 tax system that will be simple, transparent, and based more firmly 00:18:06.054 --> 00:18:12.008 on the idea that more should be paid by those who can afford it. 00:18:12.455 --> 00:18:16.307 Thank you. I'd now like to open the floor 00:18:16.488 --> 00:18:21.106 to two questions for the coalition presidents. We'll then continue 00:18:21.227 --> 00:18:24.654 with education reform, which is also important. 00:18:24.821 --> 00:18:29.446 I invite media representatives to step toward the mike if you have 00:18:29.567 --> 00:18:33.727 questions for the presidents of the coalition parties. 00:18:34.375 --> 00:18:36.967 Go ahead, Anže. -Anže Božič, POP TV. 00:18:37.135 --> 00:18:41.021 I'm not sure if the Prime Minister or the Finance Minister 00:18:41.142 --> 00:18:45.854 will be able to answer this better, but what does this "meta" taxation 00:18:45.975 --> 00:18:50.078 mean exactly, and my second question... -It's "net" taxation. 00:18:50.575 --> 00:18:54.341 Oh, "net" taxation. I understood it as "meta" taxation. 00:18:54.495 --> 00:18:58.314 But I'd still like to ask you for a few explanations. 00:18:58.988 --> 00:19:03.234 And Mr. Prime Minister, I'd like to ask you for your reaction 00:19:03.415 --> 00:19:07.474 to the irregularities at the Ljubljana University Hospital, 00:19:07.628 --> 00:19:11.587 namely supply chain issues and the fragmentation of orders. 00:19:11.795 --> 00:19:15.274 Do you feel that all this is fine? 00:19:15.894 --> 00:19:18.341 Perhaps the Prime... -Go ahead. 00:19:18.461 --> 00:19:22.101 Yes, because you'll get to listen... Please proceed. 00:19:22.261 --> 00:19:26.274 Meta is apparently the company that owns Facebook. 00:19:28.728 --> 00:19:31.807 Concerning the... 00:19:32.328 --> 00:19:36.408 As for healthcare, when we were selecting the team 00:19:36.581 --> 00:19:40.427 to tackle our healthcare reform, we purposefully chose 00:19:40.548 --> 00:19:43.927 our two most prominent fighters against corruption. 00:19:44.075 --> 00:19:47.867 It wasn't by chance. What is being uncovered now 00:19:48.001 --> 00:19:51.334 is the result of personnel choices 00:19:51.495 --> 00:19:53.961 within the team overseeing healthcare. 00:19:55.255 --> 00:19:59.340 I don't wish to comment about specific people, 00:19:59.461 --> 00:20:03.527 let alone investigations, because I believe that what 00:20:03.655 --> 00:20:08.467 we're hearing in the media is sadly just the tip of the iceberg. 00:20:08.891 --> 00:20:15.585 But what I want to say is that we do not intend to stop at this, 00:20:15.744 --> 00:20:19.614 but we want to get to the bottom of it, not only retroactively. 00:20:19.735 --> 00:20:24.597 We all want to prevent such things from happening again in the future 00:20:24.718 --> 00:20:31.411 by completely reforming the healthcare system on the one hand 00:20:31.712 --> 00:20:36.499 and digitising the same system on the other. 00:20:37.327 --> 00:20:40.336 The only way to avoid the systemic corruption 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:44.129 that we can perceive in healthcare 00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:49.108 is a complete transparency. 00:20:49.736 --> 00:20:53.895 The first two laws which will be presented shortly, 00:20:54.663 --> 00:20:57.468 i.e. digitisation and the Health Insurance Institute laws, 00:20:57.589 --> 00:21:00.225 will achieve exactly that. 00:21:00.346 --> 00:21:06.216 We want to achieve transparency in the use of healthcare money. 00:21:07.410 --> 00:21:10.466 Only when each of us, each patient, 00:21:10.587 --> 00:21:16.174 can see where their money went and who was paid for their service, 00:21:16.295 --> 00:21:19.705 will we be able to prevent such excesses, 00:21:19.826 --> 00:21:23.799 which the media are now discovering, from being repeated in the future. 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:25.976 They will be eradicated. 00:21:26.665 --> 00:21:28.398 This is my comment, 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:34.848 but I would also like to express a lot of praise to the current team, 00:21:34.969 --> 00:21:38.634 because they took this on 00:21:38.815 --> 00:21:43.229 without considering the consequences for themselves. 00:21:43.350 --> 00:21:45.794 They have my personal gratitude. -Thank you. 00:21:45.915 --> 00:21:48.909 Any other questions? Yes, go ahead. 00:21:49.913 --> 00:21:55.174 A question on the tax reform. Minister Fajon said that... 00:21:55.715 --> 00:21:58.144 I would like to know if there was a consensus 00:21:58.265 --> 00:22:00.956 among all the coalition partners on the tax reform, 00:22:01.077 --> 00:22:03.583 did you disagree on anything? And for the Prime Minister 00:22:03.704 --> 00:22:07.183 regarding the school reform, you have announced some changes for 2023, 00:22:07.304 --> 00:22:10.126 can you be more specific? What is in store for this year 00:22:10.247 --> 00:22:13.259 and what is your vision of digitisation in education? 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:16.014 Just two sentences about this. 00:22:16.135 --> 00:22:20.748 Today we started the process for the first time, 00:22:20.948 --> 00:22:26.258 we got the starting points on the table, so there was no disagreement, 00:22:26.379 --> 00:22:28.339 the debate did not go in that direction, 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:30.702 we listened, we exchanged views, 00:22:30.823 --> 00:22:34.453 I think now there will be many opportunities in working groups, 00:22:34.574 --> 00:22:37.895 by talking with the professionals, with the civil public 00:22:38.016 --> 00:22:41.381 to continue exchanging ideas and views. 00:22:41.502 --> 00:22:46.599 We started a similar discussion and are conducting it within the SD, 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:50.893 so there will be many opportunities to find this broad social consensus, 00:22:51.014 --> 00:22:55.587 but we universally agreed that this will be a great success, 00:22:55.708 --> 00:22:59.481 a very urgent reform, a very difficult reform, 00:22:59.602 --> 00:23:04.909 and that we therefore need to listen to and hear each other. 00:23:05.030 --> 00:23:06.630 Mr Vatovec. 00:23:07.797 --> 00:23:11.384 The ministry presented the starting points, 00:23:11.505 --> 00:23:15.795 including very concrete analyses of where we are currently at 00:23:15.916 --> 00:23:19.484 at the level of the EU member states in terms of tax coverage 00:23:19.605 --> 00:23:22.823 and what our expenses are. 00:23:22.944 --> 00:23:27.037 We presented some starting points for a possible solution, 00:23:27.158 --> 00:23:34.001 as already said before, we all agree that these orientations are correct, 00:23:34.154 --> 00:23:36.998 that what is proposed 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:40.019 and what can perhaps also be read between the lines 00:23:40.140 --> 00:23:43.596 goes in a positive direction to achieve the goals 00:23:43.717 --> 00:23:45.893 that this coalition has set for itself. 00:23:46.014 --> 00:23:50.416 From this aspect, as was said, a very good and fruitful discussion, 00:23:50.537 --> 00:23:55.301 which will probably lead to concrete and good results in the future. 00:23:55.422 --> 00:23:59.693 And about the school reform. What are the dates? 00:24:00.364 --> 00:24:02.690 We are talking about the first measures, 00:24:02.811 --> 00:24:07.086 certain starting points will be confirmed by May 1 this year, 00:24:07.207 --> 00:24:10.243 then the work and the appointment of these commissions will begin. 00:24:10.364 --> 00:24:14.613 In the 2023 school year, the first measure that will be implemented 00:24:14.734 --> 00:24:17.332 as part of these changes 00:24:17.453 --> 00:24:22.504 will be the update of nutritional guidelines in schools. 00:24:22.757 --> 00:24:28.280 We want to bring healthier food to schools on the one hand, 00:24:28.401 --> 00:24:31.248 but on the other hand, we will also implement some measures, 00:24:31.369 --> 00:24:36.793 pilot projects on ensuring that school kitchens work more economically, 00:24:36.914 --> 00:24:38.719 and also healthier, 00:24:38.840 --> 00:24:43.557 and introducing the principle of sustainable cultivation, 00:24:43.908 --> 00:24:49.187 sustainable development and land cultivation into the school system. 00:24:49.308 --> 00:24:51.670 These measures are planned for 2023. 00:24:51.791 --> 00:24:56.216 The others, which concern changes to the curriculum, 00:24:56.337 --> 00:24:59.079 are planned for 2024 or later. 00:25:00.250 --> 00:25:03.511 What was the other question? Digitisation. 00:25:03.704 --> 00:25:08.479 In digitisation, there is only one key goal and it is logical, 00:25:08.600 --> 00:25:15.792 the unification of all digital content at the national level. 00:25:15.913 --> 00:25:19.194 During Covid-19, we could see 00:25:19.315 --> 00:25:24.039 that it was left to the greater or lesser literacy of individual teachers. 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:29.081 In the course of this year, and then I think in 2024, 00:25:29.202 --> 00:25:32.613 we will prepare and start to use 00:25:32.734 --> 00:25:37.636 a unified digital basis for teaching materials. 00:25:38.350 --> 00:25:41.318 Anything else on this topic? 00:25:43.303 --> 00:25:46.200 No, but I will ask you anyway. Vitomir Petrović, Planet TV. 00:25:46.321 --> 00:25:49.499 Prime Minister, you have touched on the fight against corruption, 00:25:49.620 --> 00:25:55.415 so a question you avoided on Friday. Was it a constant practice in Gen-I 00:25:55.536 --> 00:25:58.423 when you led it that foreign diplomats were financed 00:25:58.544 --> 00:26:01.199 through bypass companies to obtain energy deals? 00:26:01.320 --> 00:26:05.104 Why didn't you report the identity theft to the Romanian police? 00:26:05.225 --> 00:26:08.504 Will you and Mrs Vuković finally explain those transfers? 00:26:08.625 --> 00:26:11.691 You avoided this answer on Friday. 00:26:11.936 --> 00:26:15.599 Not at all, I have answered all these questions several times, 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:17.720 first in the pre-election campaign, 00:26:17.841 --> 00:26:19.800 at least three times in public debates. 00:26:19.921 --> 00:26:23.827 All these questions were produced artificially and falsely 00:26:23.948 --> 00:26:28.972 by the ruling party that led the government at the time, i.e. the SDS. 00:26:29.093 --> 00:26:32.945 I have no problem explaining that, 00:26:33.808 --> 00:26:37.197 but the election campaign ended, the elections are behind us. 00:26:37.318 --> 00:26:41.299 I believe this pains a lot of people, but not me. 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:45.906 What I will say now is that just a month ago, 00:26:46.423 --> 00:26:48.257 we took the next step, 00:26:48.378 --> 00:26:52.040 we established an investigative commission in the parliament, 00:26:52.161 --> 00:26:54.999 which deals with exactly what you are asking me, 00:26:55.120 --> 00:26:58.593 it deals with how the previous administration abused 00:26:58.714 --> 00:27:02.471 repressive authorities with the purpose 00:27:03.506 --> 00:27:05.719 of persecuting political opponents. 00:27:05.840 --> 00:27:10.234 You will get all these answers and more shortly, and not from me. 00:27:10.355 --> 00:27:12.877 They will not be subjective, but objective, 00:27:13.002 --> 00:27:14.796 the conclusions will be handed over 00:27:14.917 --> 00:27:17.080 to the relevant law enforcement authorities. 00:27:17.201 --> 00:27:20.849 This is the best answer all Slovenians can get, 00:27:20.970 --> 00:27:25.405 because we are adhering to the principles of the rule of law, 00:27:25.526 --> 00:27:29.785 the country finally respects the rule of law again and will work. 00:27:29.976 --> 00:27:37.305 As far as ... So that you will not be too dissatisfied with my answer, 00:27:37.765 --> 00:27:41.533 I would like to tell you that I didn't report identity theft 00:27:41.654 --> 00:27:47.010 to the Romanian police, but to the Romanian prosecutor's office. 00:27:47.131 --> 00:27:51.675 The Romanian prosecutor's office will pass it on to the police. 00:27:51.796 --> 00:27:54.501 Don't doubt it, because I believe in the rule of law, 00:27:54.622 --> 00:27:58.180 not only in Slovenia, but also in Romania. -Thank you. 00:27:58.301 --> 00:28:00.913 I would like to thank all three representatives 00:28:01.034 --> 00:28:04.625 of the government parties. The Minister of Finance will take over. 00:28:04.746 --> 00:28:08.756 Thank you. -Thank you. -Go ahead. Net taxation. 00:28:15.816 --> 00:28:19.809 Let me go back a step. As I understand it, 00:28:19.930 --> 00:28:25.102 immediately after this event, there is another event 00:28:25.223 --> 00:28:28.607 where my colleagues from the ministry, 00:28:28.728 --> 00:28:31.202 i.e. the state secretary and director of the directorates, 00:28:31.323 --> 00:28:36.135 will continue to answer probably some more detailed questions, 00:28:36.256 --> 00:28:39.202 because we will continue the Government session shortly. 00:28:39.323 --> 00:28:43.589 But to answer the question about net taxation, 00:28:43.710 --> 00:28:47.764 I'll go back a step, maybe I'll answer 00:28:47.885 --> 00:28:51.591 two questions at the same time that I'm sure you're interested in. 00:28:51.712 --> 00:28:56.960 If I were to combine all that was said at the coalition today 00:28:57.081 --> 00:29:02.329 into a few key points, the first is that... 00:29:02.450 --> 00:29:04.450 As I said, we didn't want to go too far. 00:29:04.571 --> 00:29:09.074 We didn't want to come up with the identification of the problem 00:29:09.195 --> 00:29:13.692 and the solution, because then the discussion with the coalition 00:29:13.813 --> 00:29:16.991 and the wider and professional public would be a moot point. 00:29:17.112 --> 00:29:23.202 The fact is that certain things have accumulated in the tax system 00:29:23.323 --> 00:29:26.945 in the last twenty years, and we have presented this. 00:29:27.066 --> 00:29:32.839 Now the discussion will follow, we only gave some starting points 00:29:32.960 --> 00:29:35.877 of the direction that the ministry sees. 00:29:36.963 --> 00:29:40.723 Three key points related to this are... 00:29:40.998 --> 00:29:43.999 One is the system of net taxation, 00:29:44.120 --> 00:29:46.086 which I will come back to, 00:29:46.207 --> 00:29:49.254 the second is the addressing of property tax. 00:29:49.378 --> 00:29:52.437 We are talking mainly about real estate. 00:29:52.558 --> 00:29:55.707 In this context, we are also reviewing other possibilities, 00:29:55.828 --> 00:29:58.189 which are very modest, 00:29:58.310 --> 00:30:00.861 so don't expect too much. 00:30:00.985 --> 00:30:03.633 Regarding real estate, we have already said 00:30:03.754 --> 00:30:07.419 we are going in the direction of progressive taxation. 00:30:07.540 --> 00:30:10.680 The Ministry of Finance finds it more reasonable 00:30:10.801 --> 00:30:15.334 in terms of value than just the number of properties. 00:30:15.455 --> 00:30:18.893 The third point is that 00:30:19.014 --> 00:30:24.942 through the laws and amendments to these laws 00:30:25.063 --> 00:30:27.492 that have been adopted in recent years, 00:30:27.613 --> 00:30:31.151 we have identified several questions we want to address. 00:30:31.272 --> 00:30:35.258 Whether this is within the VAT, primarily a system of reduced rates, 00:30:35.379 --> 00:30:39.486 or is it a system of reliefs in corporate income tax. 00:30:39.607 --> 00:30:43.529 These are the things that we want to discuss in the coming weeks and months. 00:30:43.650 --> 00:30:47.594 I believe there will be certain changes here as well. 00:30:47.715 --> 00:30:51.450 As far as net taxation of incomes 00:30:51.571 --> 00:30:55.802 or changes in income tax legislation is concerned, 00:30:55.923 --> 00:31:00.809 this proposal is, in my opinion, important. 00:31:00.930 --> 00:31:05.099 Now we have a system of deductions, 00:31:05.330 --> 00:31:10.216 we have a system where, in fact, 00:31:10.337 --> 00:31:16.080 individual incomes are very vaguely intertwined. 00:31:16.201 --> 00:31:19.765 On the one hand the salary, on the other hand, certain people 00:31:19.886 --> 00:31:22.005 receive certain social transfers. 00:31:22.126 --> 00:31:26.894 The system is such that no one even knows how to calculate exactly 00:31:27.015 --> 00:31:33.145 or understand the income tax return 00:31:33.266 --> 00:31:37.239 that we receive in our mailboxes. 00:31:37.706 --> 00:31:42.111 Through this system and through these various amendments 00:31:42.232 --> 00:31:48.791 to the Income Tax Act, we got a very unclear system. 00:31:48.912 --> 00:31:52.608 My state secretary calls it a bird's nest. 00:31:52.729 --> 00:31:57.888 We propose a system of tax deductions 00:31:58.119 --> 00:32:00.770 that will be the same for everyone. 00:32:00.891 --> 00:32:06.700 This means the zero-income tax bracket, 00:32:06.821 --> 00:32:12.194 today the first income tax bracket is at five thousand euros, 00:32:12.315 --> 00:32:15.409 may increase significantly in the future. 00:32:15.530 --> 00:32:21.277 This means that in this package we will address the issues 00:32:21.606 --> 00:32:26.933 of various credit ratings or tax deductions 00:32:27.054 --> 00:32:32.918 that have crept into the system over the years. 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:35.997 We have to know that over the years we have been solving 00:32:36.118 --> 00:32:40.010 the issue of relatively high taxation of wages 00:32:40.131 --> 00:32:47.376 through reliefs such as transport to work, food, holiday pay, 00:32:47.497 --> 00:32:49.169 the thirteenth salary. 00:32:49.290 --> 00:32:55.471 Through this we tried to solve this high burden on wages, 00:32:55.592 --> 00:32:59.003 so no one knows how to calculate it exactly. 00:32:59.124 --> 00:33:02.617 The system that we are proposing... 00:33:02.738 --> 00:33:07.308 We would have a unified system, 00:33:07.429 --> 00:33:13.311 we would transfer a part of today's untaxed income 00:33:13.432 --> 00:33:15.677 to the zero-income tax bracket. 00:33:15.798 --> 00:33:18.096 Because of this it can increase considerably, 00:33:18.217 --> 00:33:20.822 we can even talk about several thousand euros. 00:33:20.943 --> 00:33:23.718 This will significantly simplify the system. 00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:29.800 On the other hand, all individual incomes are also taken into account, 00:33:29.921 --> 00:33:32.874 even social transfers, 00:33:32.995 --> 00:33:36.882 and with this we address a series of anomalies of today's system. 00:33:37.003 --> 00:33:42.187 For example, a businessman told me 00:33:42.308 --> 00:33:45.705 some of his employees did not want the thirteenth salary, 00:33:45.826 --> 00:33:52.263 because the additional income could reduce 00:33:53.145 --> 00:33:57.976 their social transfers too much. 00:33:58.097 --> 00:34:01.624 We want to make a simple system 00:34:01.745 --> 00:34:05.603 where all income will be counted in the same basis, 00:34:05.724 --> 00:34:11.301 and from that there will be various deductions, 00:34:11.422 --> 00:34:15.863 whether it is for dependent family members or whatever. 00:34:15.984 --> 00:34:21.412 Thank you, you were very comprehensive. Any questions? 00:34:21.533 --> 00:34:27.210 Mrs Fajon mentioned the progressive taxation of capital gains. 00:34:27.331 --> 00:34:29.527 What kind of progressive? 00:34:30.029 --> 00:34:34.517 You have to ask Mrs Fajon. This was their proposition. 00:34:34.638 --> 00:34:38.997 This is what she proposed at the coalition meeting. 00:34:39.118 --> 00:34:43.849 We were talking about the progressive taxation of real estate. 00:34:43.970 --> 00:34:48.900 Their party suggested that we also consider 00:34:49.021 --> 00:34:53.388 the progressive taxation of other assets. 00:34:53.509 --> 00:34:57.591 In this specific case of capital gains. 00:34:57.712 --> 00:35:04.864 That is all I am able to tell you. -Thank you. 00:35:04.985 --> 00:35:07.327 Okay, was that all? 00:35:07.448 --> 00:35:11.327 Thank you for being with us and have a nice day.