POSLOVNA ŽENA Tatjana Korceba Huić

Guest Tatjana Korceba HujićHosted by Marijana MatkovićMay 3, 2026

Tatjana Korceba Hujić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Imagine trying to build a business when the very ground beneath you shifts every year. Tatjana Korceba Hujić has lived this reality for two decades as an entrepreneur, running Briefing e-servisi, an IT firm she started with her husband. But the constant flux in tax policy and regulations became so frustrating that it drove her to co-found Lipa, the Croatian Taxpayers' Association. Her experience isn't just about navigating a business; it's about the fight for fundamental stability, for the right to plan more than a few months ahead. This conversation lays bare the hidden costs of regulatory uncertainty and what it takes for entrepreneurs to find a collective voice, even when the system seems designed to keep them isolated. You'll walk away with a clear picture of why predictable rules matter more than any specific tax rate, and how a shared frustration can become a powerful force for change.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

The Lipa Taxpayers' Association began not with a formal plan, but from Tatjana Korceba Hujić and her husband unloading daily frustrations about state policies after work. The most impactful advocacy starts not with a grand strategy, but with a shared, personal frustration that finds its collective voice through like-minded individuals.

Lipa's early membership included not just entrepreneurs, but also private sector employees, students, and even a public ministry staffer. Shared frustration with systemic issues can unite seemingly opposing groups, as competent public sector professionals also recognize the long-term harm of inefficiency and mismanagement.

For Croatian entrepreneurs, the biggest obstacle isn't the tax rate itself, but the constant, annual changes in laws, regulations, and tax policy, often without written interpretation. The fundamental inability to plan due to chronic regulatory instability is a greater deterrent to growth than any specific financial burden.

When asked in a 2009 survey where she saw her business in five years, Tatjana Korceba Hujić told the interviewer she didn't know what would happen in three months. In an unstable regulatory environment, long-term strategy becomes a luxury, not a baseline expectation for business operators.

The 2019 rule change requiring all directors to register for eight hours of work, regardless of their actual capacity, disproportionately affected women entrepreneurs with small children. Policy changes made from a position of misunderstanding can force out early-stage businesses, especially those balancing family, rather than fostering growth.

The consequence of the 2019 8-hour director rule was that many entrepreneurs had to let go of their first employees, stalling their growth. Policies intended to curb perceived abuses often cripple nascent businesses by adding unforeseen costs, delaying their ability to scale and re-hire.

Lipa's 'Give Us Work' project proposed exempting new entrepreneurs from contributions for the first three years. True support for new businesses isn't about subsidies that are later clawed back, but about removing initial financial burdens entirely to allow for organic, unhindered growth.

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