Zagreb, Croatia-based Lipa Taxpayers Association has been named one of six finalists for this year's prestigious $100,000 Templeton Freedom Award for its successful campaign to repeal Croatia’s private property tax.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly 90 percent of Croatians own their own homes, so when the Croatian government passed a property tax for the first time in 2017, Lipa Taxpayers Association refused to stand by and allow this property tax to hit an already troubled economy. Its efforts led to the tax’s full repeal.

Nearly 90 percent of Croatians own their own homes, so when the Croatian government passed a property tax for the first time in 2017, Lipa Taxpayers Association refused to stand by and allow this property tax to hit an already troubled economy. Its efforts led to the tax’s full repeal.

"Stopping the real estate tax in Croatia was a huge success for civil society,” said Davor Huić, president of Lipa. “It was the first time ever that citizens prevented the government from raising the overall tax burden in the country. But perhaps even more importantly, we have created a popular climate in which it is politically very difficult, if not outright impossible, to increase the level of taxation in Croatia."

Lipa launched an award-winning campaign against the tax, emphasizing Croatia’s already crippling tax burden. Its efforts turned public opinion sharply against the tax in a matter of months, resulting in over 146,000 petition signatures, media coverage in more than 100 news outlets, and a full repeal of the property tax. Following the repeal, public opposition to taxes has remained high, with the government unable to introduce any new taxes since. And while Croatians may still be overtaxed, they are grateful that Lipa’s success means they won’t be sending payments to the government just to live in their own homes.

“Lipa has shown how a small civil society organization can have an outsized impact on a public debate and achieve an important tax repeal,” said Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network. “There's lasting impact here: Croatians who may not have felt that they had a voice in the past suddenly are empowered to stand up for their rights.”

What: Lipa Taxpayers Association named one of six finalists for Atlas Network's prestigious $100,000 Templeton Freedom Award for work repealing Croatia’s property tax

When: Nov. 8, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner closing ceremony – Intrepid Museum Manhattan Pier 86, West 46th St & 12th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Press Contact: Daniel.Anthony@AtlasNetwork.org or 202-449-8449

Awarded since 2004, the Templeton Freedom Award is named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. The award annually honors his legacy by identifying and recognizing the most exceptional and innovative contributions to the understanding of free enterprise, and the public policies that encourage prosperity, innovation, and human fulfillment via free competition. The award is generously supported by Templeton Religion Trust and will be presented during Atlas Network's Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner gala dinner ceremony Nov. 8, 2018 in New York City. The winning organization will receive a $100,000 prize and the runners-up will each receive $25,000.

The 2018 Templeton Freedom Award finalists are:

• The Buckeye Institute (Columbus, Ohio, United States) – “Increasing Safety, Liberty, and Justice: Comprehensive Criminal Justice Reform in Ohio”
• The Commonwealth Foundation (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States) — “A Titanic Shift: Pension Reform in Pennsylvania”
• The Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies of Egypt (Cairo, Egypt) — “Better Budget for a Better Egypt”
• Libertad y Progreso (Buenos Aires, Argentina)  — “Downsizing of Argentina’s Government”
• Lipa Taxpayers Association (Zagreb, Croatia) — “Campaign Against the Introduction of the Property Tax in Croatia”
• The Mercatus Center at George Mason University (Arlington, Virginia, United States) – “Unleashing Prosperity by Cutting State Regulations”

About Lipa Taxpayers Association
Zagreb, Croatia-based Lipa Taxpayers Association raises the standard of living for Croatian citizens by working to reduce the tax burden and public spending of Croatia.

About Atlas Network
Washington-based Atlas Network is a nonprofit organization that strengthens the worldwide freedom movement by connecting more than 485 independent partners in over 90 countries that share the vision of a free, prosperous, and peaceful world where limited governments defend the rule of law, private property, and free markets.

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Daniel Anthony
Atlas Network
202-449-8449
daniel.anthony@atlasnetwork.org

AJ Skiera
Atlas Network
202-440-8440
aj.skiera@atlasnetwork.org