Ivan Suker of the HDZ said this strongest opposition party and other opposition parties in parliament would try to agree a joint amendment on Hina for submission to the VAT law, moving that all dailies be taxed five per cent, except those solely or mostly focused on advertising.
"That's not a lot of money," said Suker.
Goran Maric of the HDZ did not object to reducing VAT on newspapers, but wondered if they were more important than baby food (the proposal is to increase VAT on it from 10 to 13%) or than Hina. "Opening Hina to the market and reducing its budget means launching its liquidation. That's not a good decision."
Maric said the government's policy was to open unnecessary agencies, yet now it was folding one of national interest.
In the 2014 draft budget, the government earmarked 23% less funds for the news agency than this year and did not envisage it at all in projections for 2015 and 2016.
The reduction of funds for Hina prompted the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) to request the Culture Ministry to reconsider such a decision. The association recalled in a press release on Wednesday that the news agency had reduced the salaries of its employees by one quarter over the last five years.
Reducing Hina's budget by HRK 5 million (approx. 658,000 euros) means abolishing the news agency, said Branko Vuksic of the Labour Party, stressing that Hina must not be abolished.
He welcomed the intention to reduce VAT on dailies to keep jobs, but warned that journalists were still being laid off in newspapers. "Journalists remain the least protected branch in Croatia."
The opposition vehemently attacked the government's motion to increase an intermediate VAT rate from 10 to 13% for the hospitality industry, tourism, periodicals, sugar, edible oils and fats, baby food, water supply, concert tickets, and culture and art magazines.
The opposition warned the government that it was not good to frequently change taxes, as it sent a message about tax insecurity.
The opposition also warned that raising taxes on food would force Croatian citizens to go shopping abroad at the expense of the Croatian budget.