The Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK) on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with the government's redesigned jobkeeping measures, noting that ensuring liquidity was even more important to small business owners.

The first redesigned government measure refers to the shortening of working hours, which instead of being shortened by 50% can now be shortened by a maximum 70%.

The maximum monthly allowance per employee for employers applying for government aid will go up from HRK 2,000 to 2,800 and government aid will be graded depending of how much an employer’s volume of business has decreased due to the coronavirus crisis.

HOK president Dragutin Ranogajec called for making loans by the HAMAG-BICRO SMEs credit institution available, lowering the rent for state-owned business premises, a moratorium on loan repayment of a minimum one year, a lower VAT rate on coffee, hot beverages, juices, beer and wine, cancellation of consumption tax, extending the deadline for the payment of VAT to two months, cancellation of the obligation of advance payment of income/profit tax until December 2021, and the introduction of employment vouchers in all sectors and not just agriculture as has been the case so far.