Croatia must stop treating the state like a piggy bank, business leaders say

"We often like to think of the state as a piggy bank, but when it comes time to pay tax, I'll pay it somewhere in Switzerland," Marko Pipunić said at the Hrvatska kakvu trebamo conference in Kneževi Vinogradi.

The president of Žito Group's management board was speaking during a panel on the future of production. He said Croatia cannot change the climate or global and European politics, but argued that the country can still improve. Its small size creates disadvantages when Croatian producers enter large markets, he said, yet it also gives them flexibility when conditions change quickly.

Pipunić also called for more dialogue and greater awareness of individual responsibility. He said politics shapes trends but remains indispensable, and argued that Croatia is not as threatened as the country itself sometimes believes.

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We often like to think of the state as a piggy bank, but when it comes time to pay tax, I'll pay it somewhere in Switzerland.

Emil Tedeschi, president of Atlantic Group's management board, said Pipunić was right to distinguish between Croatia that pays taxes and Croatia that does not. Tedeschi said he was proud to have the country's most publicized salary, while noting that the amount of tax and contributions paid from it had never been calculated publicly.

"Patriotism is not a hand on your heart and who will sing the anthem louder, but who will pay more tax, employ more people, pay them honorably and genuinely care about people's standards," Tedeschi said. Martina Dalić of Podravka and Stjepan Orešković of Bosqar Invest also took part in the panel, moderated by Večernji list deputy editor-in-chief Mislav Šimatović.

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Patriotism is not a hand on your heart and who will sing the anthem louder, but who will pay more tax, employ more people, pay them honorably and genuinely care about people's standards.