Slovakia vs. Austria: where is business really better?

Do business in Slovakia or Austria?

Moving across borders may sound like a logical step – lower risks, higher stability, a “better country”. But the reality is often much more complex.

In a new episode of Highgate Talks, Peter Varga talks to Ulrich Paugger, an Austrian tax advisor with a strong knowledge of the Slovak environment.

We openly compare Slovakia and Austria in terms of:

• tax controls and their intensity,
• VAT deduction on cars and hidden costs,
• tax residence and its consequences,
• dividend taxation (7% vs. 27.5%),
• limited partnership structures and their (mis)understanding,
• real mistakes that cost entrepreneurs tens of percent of their profits.

👉 This episode is not about promises or ideology. It’s about the practical realities that entrepreneurs experience after they move, often in hindsight.