With $ 300 to workers’ co -ownership in companies

The Ministry of the Solidar Future and the Delo prepared a legal framework For the co -ownership of workers in companies. It is a bill on the workers’ ownership cooperative. « The law introduces one of the possible models, and the aim of the law is to promote employee ownership, which manifests itself as useful, and also addresses the Succession in Companies, » said State Secretary Klemen Ploštajner. The law will be in public hearing by 6 June.

Ploštajner added that in the world and in Slovenia, the ownership of employees is highly desirable practice and shows many positive effects, both on employees and on the management and the local environment.

State secretary Igor Feketija He explained that employees ‘co -ownership brings many benefits, such as higher employees’ salaries, higher productivity of companies, greater resistance to these companies in crisis, easier maintaining talents and reduced staff fluctuation. In addition, workers’ co -ownership provides an alternative opportunity to solve the issue of succession in small and medium -sized enterprises.

« Due to demographic changes in the economy, in the coming years, it is an important development question to leave the challenge of ownership succession exclusively to financial funds and competing companies or to provide a wider set of ownership restructuring and support those solutions that will strengthen the Slovenian economy in a socially responsible and effective way, » the proposer said.

The ownership concentration will not be possible

The bill thus regulates one of the models of working co -ownership, enabling the owner to voluntarily decide to sell a partial or entire share of the company to employees through a dedicated legal entity or employee ownership cooperative. The purpose of the cooperative should be exclusively obtaining, managing and disposing of the capital investment in the company on behalf of the employees, and the purchase will be financed by the company’s cash flow, not the savings of workers.

Anyone who has been employed by the company will be able to join the ownership company for at least one year, and the upper limit of the compulsory share will be $ 300 by law. At least 75 percent of all employees who qualify for membership will have to be included in the cooperative. The law also prevents internal trade in employees, which is why ownership cannot be concentrated in the hands of individuals.

In Slovenia, this ownership model has been present for a long time, but the number of workers who own the company in which they are employed is decreasing in many companies because the model is not regulated and does not have adequate tax hearings. Famous companies with internal ownership include, for example, Domel and Gorenjski Voice.

And what will the new model mean for companies that already have it? Plaqueiner is for Work explained that the scheme would be voluntary. The law also addresses the challenges of companies that already have employees as direct owners in ownership. When they retire, their interest can change: « This model, however, allows workers to be indirectly involved in ownership as long as they are employed. »

Tax incentives

The law also brings certain tax incentives. The owner will have a lower tax rate on capital gain in the case of the sale of the share, so that it will be able to compete with financial investors or competing companies. Members will be taxed as dividends for the time of membership, and upon exit, the tax rate will be equated with the tax rate for the payment of capital gain, so it will be falling according to the year of membership in the ownership cooperative.

At the same time, according to Feketi, there are already talks to create financial instruments to finance these purchases. As it is understood, it could be the European Social Fund, the European Investment Bank, SID Bank… as the European Commission supports this. It could be both loans and grants.