NordenBladet —
Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi replied to the interpellations concerning the impact of tax amendments on the state budget (No. 648) and planned changes in excise duty (No. 651) submitted by members of the Riigikogu.
The interpellators wished to know which parties the Ministry of Finance used when making additional specific forecasts, such as Eesti Pank, higher education institutions and private sector experts.
According to Ligi, the Ministry of Finance has a large number of cooperation partners. In forecasting the effects of the state’s activities, the state has built competence in various ministries, and of course there is close cooperation with them. Outside the ministries, Eesti Pank is the most important partner, but it is more at the macro level. Cooperation partners also include think tanks, commercial banks, and, of course, economic advisers to the Prime Minister and the President. “For bigger jobs, things are outsourced to universities, think tanks, audit firms, research agencies and so on,” Ligi explained.
Answering the question as to what the action plan of the Ministry of Finance was so that the increase in tobacco excise duty or alcohol excise duty would not lead to an increase in trading in the border areas and smuggling, Ligi said, “We do not have these measures. But, of course, the tax office has prepared against smuggling and the share of contraband is actually quite modest.”
“It is rather more complicated in the case of tobacco in terms of percentage. But illegal alcohol is no longer as important an issue in Estonia as it was in the past. One of the reasons, of course, is that the borders of Russia and Belarus have been closed. But the smuggling industry has also moved to the Baltic countries. We have goods coming in from the south, so we are alert,” Ligi explained.
Ligi answered a question about the latest data on receipts: “The latest data are that receipts are slightly lower than last year. 19 million euro was received in alcohol excise duty in August, and 139.6 million was received in eight months. 22.7 million of tobacco excise was received in August, and 172.7 million was received in eight months,” Ligi noted. “If you want to conclude that the excise policy has failed, I do not agree with this. However, the aim of the excise duty policy is also to limit consumption. And from that point of view, we can be satisfied when it is said that consumption has fallen,” Ligi remarked.
Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo replied to the interpellations concerning the future of Tartu Agro (No. 655) and the decline in Estonian industrial production (No. 658).
Hele Everaus took the floor during the open microphone.
The sitting ended at 5.48 p.m.
Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: The Riigikogu heard replies to four interpellations
Source: Parliament of Estonia