If we had a euro for every negative story published about the state of the Croatian economy, the demographic crisis, the ”trickling” away of the country’s qualified workforce and a lack of political will for change, we’d all be able to retire.
It isn’t that those things aren’t true. Unfortunately, they all are. That, however, doesn’t mean that there aren’t very many positive examples being set by not only individuals, employers, associations and entrepreneurs, but by entire towns, cities and municipalities across the country. There is an increasing level of positive, inspiring pieces of news that restore your faith in this overly complicated little country every day, even just a bit. Ogulin is one such story.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of August, 2019, over recent years, the overlooked little continental Croatian town of Ogulin has been managing to make some breathing room for its inhabitants, and this will be felt by residents as soon as this month. as their surtax has now successfully been reduced twice – from ten down to just five percent.
The cut was first decided and imposed four years ago, as RTL news reports have stated. The ruling party and opposition, as in most other places, were too busy hitting each other with their proverbial handbags and trying to score political points, and owing to that, this little Croatian town experienced a several-month-long power crisis.
“By reducing the surtax, we’re releasing about one million kuna to Ogulin’s citizens and craftsmen. We went with this measure in order to make citizens really feel this increase. Some criticise you for implementing a populist measure, but I don’t believe that populism makes life any easier for citizens,” says Dalibor Domitrović (SDP), the current mayor of Ogulin.
This Croatian town hasn’t just stopped at lowering surtax. Ogulin also now boasts 250 brand new jobs, as the parquet factory in Ogulin currently employs 330 workers.
“Well, it means a lot to me because for seventeen years I was the one who needed to travel for 45 minutes to get to work, and now I’m five minutes from home,” said a satisfied Helena Simić, an employee at the aforementioned parquet factory in Ogulin.
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