Finance proposes changing rules on returning state aid

Ljubljana – The newspaper Finance argues in Tuesday’s commentary against the rules under which more than 10% of small businesses will have to return the state aid they received last year because they did not just sit around and wait for aid but actually found ways to keep their business afloat.

“Is this fair? These are the people that found ways to keep themselves busy and make sure their business is not forgotten, so they started delivering food, offer yoga via internet, started counselling from home, sold home-made products, offered lessons, wine tasting events online etc.”

All this did not decrease their fixed monthly costs of rent and electricity. On the contrary, their costs rose because of additional work, much more than their revenue, Finance adds.

Perhaps they have indeed created a client base for the future, but they still do not have enough money to cover their costs, return state aid, and perhaps not even to fully reopen their business, buy supplies.

But they will have to return the state aid, because their revenue did not drop enough compared to the pre-Covid year 2019. And those who expanded their business will have to return the money as well, “so they will be punished for having worked, invested.”

Meanwhile, others hid their income generated by selling alcohol under the counter during Covid-19 prohibition, did haircuts at home etc. Their official revenue dropped enough, so they will keep the state aid, while the state did not benefit at all from their activities.

That is because it did not think its rules through, and find a way to allow people to work despite protective measures and not force them to stay closed for months, says the paper under Justice and Reason Our Way: The More You Work, the Less You Get.

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