PM: Retail turnover shifts from non-working days to working days

With changes to the Commerce Act entering into force on 1 January this year, retail turnover has shifted from non-working days to working days, as evidenced by Tax Administration data on the number and value of invoices issued, PM Andrej Plenković said at the start of a government session today.

On 5 January (Friday, the day before Epiphany, which is a non-working day), 16.5% more invoices were issued compared to the same day in 2023, and the value of the invoices was 35% higher, Plenković said, adding that on Monday, 8 January, the number of invoices was 96.5% higher, while their value was 135.4% higher.

"Turnover has shifted from non-working days to working days," said Plenković and added that in the first nine days of this year, the number of invoices increased by 817,927 compared to the same period last year while their value was €95.5 million higher.

Plenković believes that consumers are adapting to the new legal framework.

According to the amendments to the Commerce Act, stores will be able to choose 16 Sundays during the year when they will be open.

Government has been pursuing a good course in managing public finances and other economic measures

Plenković also referred to inflation indicators and the economic sentiment index (ESI).

He said that the growth of the average net wage in the period between November 2022 and November 2023 was 14.6%, which is significantly higher than the inflation rate in that period of 4.7%, adding that claims about inflation having eaten up wage growth are not true.

He also said this is a confirmation that the government interventions in food and energy prices were justified.

Plenković recalled that, in the last 22 months, Croatia ranked number one in the EU according to the economic sentiment index (ESI), including the last two months of 2023, and that during that period it was the only EU country with this indicator exceeding 100, meaning that a majority of the respondents expressed positive expectations.

Plenković is confident that this, too, is a confirmation that the government has been pursuing a good course in managing public finances and other economic measures.

Text: Hina
 

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