The Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia consists of a Chairman, representatives of the parliamentary groups of the Riigikogu and specialists of the field. The principle to govern the forming of the Supervisory Board is that each parliamentary group of the Riigikogu nominates one of its members and the Chairman of the Board nominates four specialists of the field.
The membership of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia includes Members of the Riigikogu Anti Allas, Aivar Kokk, Andres Sutt, Igor Taro, Jaak Valge and the new member Lauri Laats as well as experts in the field Ivi Proos, Krista Jaakson, Karin Jõeveer and Toomas Tamsar.
64 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Resolution and one was against. There were three abstentions.
Pikhof said that the aim of the observers was to monitor whether the presidential election adhered to democratic principles, and that transparent voting procedures and a fair campaign atmosphere were ensured. “Most probably the current President Ilham Aliyev will be re-elected for his fifth term of presidency, but we will observe that all candidates are treated equally,” Pikhof explained. She will be observing the election in Salyan District.
Odinets added that during the presidential election in Azerbaijan, it was also important to monitor media accessibility, and the accurate reporting of results. “We will observe the opening of polling places, voting, counting of ballots as well as the reporting of results. And we will certainly monitor whether journalists are able to do their work freely, as is appropriate in democratic elections.” Odinets will be observing the election in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
This is the first election in Azerbaijan that will be held on its entire internationally recognised territory. More than 80 members of 27 national parliaments will observe the presidential election in Azerbaijan within the framework of the mission organised by the OSCE PA. The purpose of the mission is to make sure that the elections adhere to the democratic commitments contained in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document.
Deploying of election observation missions has been an important part of OSCE’s activities since 1993. The missions monitor whether the elections are conducted legitimately and respect the democratic standards. This is the tenth time the OSCE PA has observed elections in Azerbaijan since 1995.
For more information, please contact:
Heljo Pikhof +372 511 9637
Eduard Odinets +372 501 8934
Hussar acknowledged the increasingly close relations between Estonia and Kosovo and assured that Estonia was following the developments in the region with great attention. “We can see that you are focused on implementing reforms and building up your country,” he said.
Hussar confirmed that Estonia supported Kosovo in its aspirations to become a member of the European Union as well as other international organisations, and was ready to share its experience. “We wish to support you on this path in every possible way,” said the President of the Riigikogu at the meeting, and expressed his satisfaction that Kosovo’s long-awaited visa-free regime with the European Union had entered into force on 1 January.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Kosovo thanked the Estonian state and people for their strong support for Kosovo, and pointed out that Estonia had been one of the first countries to recognise Kosovo’s independence in 2008. Hussar emphasised that it was important for Estonia that the process of recognition of Kosovo as an independent state would continue.
At the meeting, the Speakers also discussed Kosovo’s relations with Serbia and the situation in the Western Balkans in general. Hussar considered it important to make efforts to normalise relations.
The Speakers also discussed Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. According to Hussar, it is crucial that Western aid to Ukraine continues. “The recent agreement reached at the European Council to allocate 50 billion euros is a big step, but Ukraine needs much more military assistance from its allies to win the war of aggression launched by Russia. We must to act collectively to this end, because Russia is at war not only with Ukraine, but with the entire Western world,” said the President of the Riigikogu.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Kosovo is on an official visit to Estonia today. At the Riigikogu, he will also have meetings with Chairman of the National Defence Committee Kalev Stoicescu and members of the National Defence Committee, as well as with the Estonia-Kosovo Parliamentary Friendship Group. He will also meet with President Alar Karis and Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and visit the e-Estonia Briefing Centre and the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
The Speaker of the parliament of Kosovo will have meetings with President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, Chairman of the National Defence Committee Kalev Stoicescu and members of the National Defence Committee, as well as the Estonia-Kosovo Parliamentary Friendship Group. He will also meet with President of the Republic Alar Karis and Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
During his stay in Tallinn, the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo will also visit the e-Estonia Briefing Centre and meet with the representatives of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.
On Monday, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees will meet with Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya in New York. They will also visit the Columbia University, where they will participate in a panel discussion addressing Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the security situation in the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States, the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO as well as the situation in the Middle East. The discussion will start at 7 p.m. (EET) on Monday and last for 1.5 hours. It will be live streamed online.
From New York, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees will travel to Washington, where they will spend three days, and meet with senators and members of the House of Representatives, as well as representatives of think tanks and journalists. They are also planning to have meetings at the State Department and the American Jewish Committee.
The impacts of the war of aggression started by Russia against Ukraine will be discussed at all meetings, and the importance of continued assistance to Ukraine will be underlined, as the outcome of the war will influence the entire values-based world order. Defence spending and defence cooperation between countries, and the strengthening of deterrence and defence on the NATO Eastern flank will also be spoken about at the meetings.
Marko Mihkelson from the Parliament of Estonia, Rihards Kols from the Parliament of Latvia, Žygimantas Pavilionis from the Parliament of Lithuania, Michael Aastrup Jensen from the Parliament of Denmark, Diljá Mist Einarsdóttir from the Parliament of Iceland, Ine Eriksen Søreide from the Parliament of Norway, and Aron Emilsson from the Parliament of Sweden participate in the joint visit.
Hussar noted that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was an attack against the entire democratic world and therefore it was crucial that strong support for Ukraine would continue until Ukraine had won the war. “The Baltic States will continue to give Ukraine comprehensive assistance, and in the meetings here we were assured that the need for continued support for Ukraine is also well understood by members of the US Congress,” he said.
Hussar also underlined the importance of holding Russia to account – the perpetrators of crimes committed in Ukraine, including the crime of aggression, must be brought before the special tribunal, and Russia must also compensate the damage caused to Ukraine. He pointed out that, like the Congress, the Riigikogu was also debating a Bill that would provide for the possibility to use Russia’s assets frozen under international sanctions to compensate Ukraine for the war damage caused to it.
At the meetings, the Speakers of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments also discussed the US-Baltic defence cooperation, the increasing of defence spending and the activities of countries to strengthen security in the region. Hussar highlighted that since the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, all Baltic States have increased their defence spending, and this year Estonia’s defence budget for the first time exceeded three per cent of GDP. The Baltic Speakers thanked the US as one of their closest allies for the good cooperation and great contribution to the security of the Baltic region.
In Washington, the Speakers of the parliaments of the Baltic States had meetings with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Benjamin Cardin, and other members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Before arriving in the USA, the Baltic Speakers were on a joint visit to Canada.
Hussar was on the joint visit together with Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Daiga Mieriņa and Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen. The visit ended today.
At the meeting with Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada Greg Fergus in Ottawa, Hussar said that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was an attack against our values-based world order. “The whole democratic world must make efforts to defend it. We must continue to support Ukraine in every way until Ukraine’s victory. Ukraine is on the front line of the defence of our values,” he said, and added that, besides providing military assistance, it was also necessary to contribute to Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Hussar emphasised that Russia must compensate Ukraine for the damage it has caused with its war of aggression. He pointed out that the Riigikogu was discussing a Bill which would create a legal mechanism to use Russia’s assets frozen under international sanctions to compensate the war damages caused to Ukraine, and emphasised the importance of cooperation with the Parliament of Canada that was debating a similar Bill. Speaking of cooperation in NATO, Hussar underlined the need to do everything possible to bring Ukraine closer to NATO at the Washington Summit in summer.
The Speakers of the Baltic parliaments thanked Canada, as the framework country of the NATO Battlegroup in Latvia, for its contribution to increasing the security of the Baltic States. At the meeting, the Speakers also discussed the strengthening of national defence capabilities, and defence and economic cooperation. The Baltic Speakers also met with members of the Canada-Nordic-Baltic Parliamentary Friendship Group.
The Speakers’ visit will continue in the United States, where they will have meetings with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Benjamin Cardin, and other members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Besides Hussar, Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Daiga Mieriņa and Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen participate in the joint visit.
On Saturday, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar will attend the festival PostEstDocs in Toronto. The festival is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the great escape from Estonia and there will be a screening of films that tell the tales of Estonian refugees in Canada. He will also meet with the members of the Estonian Central Council, and with Ellen Valter, who is the Chair of the Steering Committee for KESKUS, the International Estonian Centre to be built in downtown Toronto to showcase Estonia’s heritage and promote Estonian innovation.
On Sunday, Hussar, together with representatives of the Lutheran congregation of Hamilton, will lay a wreath at the memorial monument to Estonian refugees, and visit Hamilton Estonian School that teaches the Estonian language and culture to both children and adults in order to sustain the Estonian community and keep contact with Estonia.
The joint visit of the Speakers of the Baltic parliaments will start on Monday in Ottawa, where they will meet with Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada Greg Fergus, and members of the Canada-Nordic-Baltic Parliamentary Friendship Group. The discussions at the meetings will focus on developments in the Baltic Sea region, enlargement of NATO, supporting Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
Afterwards, the Speakers of the Baltic parliaments will travel to the USA, where they will meet with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson to discuss cooperation, strengthening the security in the Baltic Sea region, aid to Ukraine and using of Russia’s frozen assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine. In Washington, the Baltic Speakers will also meet with Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Benjamin Cardin, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and other members of the House of Representative and the Senate.
Pakosta said in her speech at the Winter Session of the PACE that the situation was very grave and demanded the immediate and unified action of states. “In recent times, we have witnessed the harrowing plight of the Ukrainian children falsely deported from their homeland to Russia and Belarus. We should not forget that these innocent children have been deeply traumatised and have had to experience violence, trauma, destruction, and displacement for a very long time. The tragedy is so vast that we do not even know the exact number of deported children,” she said at the debate on the situation of the children of Ukraine.
Pakosta pointed out that the aim of Russia’s criminal policy was to forcibly change the children’s identity and assimilate them in order to make them to forget about their homeland Ukraine, and not to be able to return to their families. “This act, which is a flagrant violation of international law and an offence against the dignity of these young lives, is nothing less than a war crime and a violation of the very essence of humanity” she stated.
The Head of the Estonian delegation said at the PACE plenary session that the Parliament of Estonia the Riigikogu took a firm stand against these atrocities. “We condemn the systematic deliberate actions of Russia and Belarus in this unlawful deportation, as well as Russia’s decision to grant citizenship to Ukrainian children under a simplified procedure,” she said, and called on the parliaments of other European countries to stand together in a unified response. “We must stand together to condemn these acts, to demand the immediate release and safe return of these innocent children to Ukraine.”
Pakosta acknowledged the efforts of the International Criminal Court to bring those responsible to justice, in particular the arrest warrants issued in March last year for the President of the Russian Federation and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights. “Let us not forget that impunity only breeds more injustice. It is our duty, in the spirit of the values that bind us as members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, to ensure that such atrocities do not go unpunished,” she said, and also called on supporting the 10-point peace plan proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which includes the return of children deported to Russia and Belarus.
Spouse of the President of Ukraine Ms Olena Zelenska also spoke at the debate on the situation of children deported from Ukraine, and Pakosta repeated her call for acting together in her speech.
This week, the Winter Session of the PACE also discussed the conclusions from observing the parliamentary elections in Serbia, Hamas terror attack against Israel and Israel’s response, as well as OECD’s role since Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine. In addition, there was debate on the democratic future of Belarus, with a speech by the leader of the democratic opposition of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The Assembly elected Theodoros Rousopoulos as its new President, and Michael O’Flaherty was elected as the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.
At the meetings held during this week, the members of the Estonian delegation expressed their full support to the candidacy of the long-term member of the Estonian delegation to PACE Indrek Saar to the position of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe at the elections to be held this June. Other candidates to the position are Didier Reynders and Alain Berset.
The Estonian delegation to the Winter Session the PACE was made up of its head Liisa Pakosta, member Eerik-Niiles Kross, and substitute member Reili Rand.
Speaking to the Riigikogu, Laanet said that, in 2022, nearly a third of the Bills prepared by the Government had originated from European Union law, and the rest had stemmed from national needs. “For example, Bills aimed at the development of a specific sector, the implementation of political priorities, or the resolution of urgent issues, or resulting from unexpected changes in the external environment. All of these factors that necessitate legal intervention may change over time, but the process of preparing legislative amendments must be predictable and stable. In doing so, we will ensure that the rule of law works, and that businesses, stakeholders and the public have confidence in the Government,” he said.
According to Laanet, the legislative year 2022 will be characterised by the war that broke out in Ukraine, which directly or indirectly gave impetus to several legislative amendments. “It showed that, alongside long-term strategies and thoroughly analysed changes, the Government must also be ready to tackle unexpected challenges that need legal regulation. Several Bills related to the war in Ukraine were prepared as a matter of urgency, which was justified according to the Ministry of Justice,” he said.
According to him, business-as-usual legislative drafting had continued as well. Most of the Bills had been motivated by implementation bottlenecks in existing law, the aim of developing the sector, or the introduction of digital solutions. “The starting point for any legislative initiative is the question of why a particular issue needs to be regulated, what the problem to be solved is and what the objective to be achieved is. Clear and data-based statement of the problem is an integral part of high-quality legislative drafting,” the Minister of Justice said. He also promised to come the Riigikogu to present a report on the previous year soon.
During the debate, Urve Tiidus from the Reform Party Group, Hendrik Johannes Terras from Estonia 200 Group, Varro Vooglaid from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from the Centre Party Group took the floor. Jaanus Karilaid took the floor on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group.
Riigikogu changed membership of the Estonian delegation to PACE
The Riigikogu passed the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Amendment of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe”” (360 OE), submitted by the Foreign Affairs Committee. Under the Resolution, alternate member of the delegation Hanah Lahe is excluded from the Estonian delegation to PACE and Reili Rand and Tõnis Lukas are appointed as new alternate members.
The members of the delegation participate in the sittings of the plenary of PACE which convenes four times a year. The head of the delegation represents the Riigikogu in the standing committee which works between sessions, and members take part in the work of sectoral committees. The Estonian delegation, which was formed in May last year, also includes the head of the delegation Liisa Pakosta, members Aleksei Jevgrafov and Eerik-Niiles Kross and alternate member Ants Frosch.
71 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Resolution, and there was one abstention.
22 Bills were dropped from the proceedings
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Language Act (161 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas and Helle-Moonika Helme. It was intended to increase the rates of the fines related to violations of the Language Act and to include new sanctions in the Act in order to strengthen the protection of the Estonian language in companies and non-profit organisations as well as in the public sector.
42 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Cultural Affairs Committee to reject the Bill and 20 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (111 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo and Leo Kunnas. The aim of the proposal was to lower the rate of excise duty on leaded petrol from €563 to €359 per 1,000 litres from 30 April. According to the initiators, lowering the excise duty rate would have helped to reduce the decline in purchasing power and the reduction in the competitiveness of businesses due to high energy prices, while supporting businesses and helping to preserve jobs.
38 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 20 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (119 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kert Kingo, Rain Epler and Leo Kunnas. The aim of the proposal was to lower the rate of excise duty on diesel fuel for specific purposes to €60 per 1,000 litres of diesel fuel for specific purposes from 30 April. The relevant excise duty rate is €100 in the current Act.
32 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 11 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (123 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Siim Pohlak, Martin Helme, Evelin Poolamets and Leo Kunnas. It was intended to reduce the rate of excise duty on aviation spirit from €563 to €359 per 1,000 litres of aviation spirit from 30 April.
31 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 11 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (126 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Arvo Aller, Jaak Valge and Kert Kingo. It was intended to lower the reduced rate of excise duty on natural gas from €11,30 to €6 per 1,000 cubic metres of natural gas from 30 April.
31 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 11 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (129 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Leo Kunnas and Siim Pohlak. It was intended to lower the rate of excise duty on heavy fuel oil to €330 per 1,000 litres of heavy fuel oil from 30 April. The relevant excise duty rate is €422 in the current Act.
31 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (170 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal and Siim Pohlak. It was intended to lower the rate of excise duty on natural gas to €6 per 1,000 cubic metres of natural gas from 30 April. The relevant excise duty rate is €40 in the current Act.
30 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (185 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Rain Epler, Siim Pohlak, Helle-Moonika Helme and Leo Kunnas. The aim of the proposal was to bring the rate of excise duty on liquefied petroleum gas to zero from 30 April. The relevant excise duty rate is €55 per 1,000 kg of liquefied petroleum gas in the current Act.
30 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (202 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Siim Pohlak and Helle-Moonika Helme. It was intended to lower the rate of excise duty on light heating oil to €330 per 1,000 litres of light heating oil from 30 April. The relevant excise duty rate is €372 in the current Act.
29 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 11 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (237 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Evelin Poolamets and Rain Epler. It was intended to lower the rate of excise duty on motor liquefied petroleum gas from €193 to €125 per 1,000 kg of motor liquefied petroleum gas from 30 April.
30 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (255 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Arvo Aller, Rene Kokk and Anti Poolamets. It was intended to lower the rate of excise duty on shale-derived fuel oil to €330 per 1,000 litres of shale-derived fuel oil from 30 April. The relevant excise duty rate is €414 in the current Act.
32 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (117 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo and Helle-Moonika Helme. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.39 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €380 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
36 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (120 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo and Helle-Moonika Helme. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.32 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €345 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
36 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (125 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Helle-Moonika Helme, Kert Kingo, Evelin Poolamets and Leo Kunnas. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.5 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €435 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
35 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (152 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo and Helle-Moonika Helme. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.45 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €410 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
35 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (154 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo and Mart Helme. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.41 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €390 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
37 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 9 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (179 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal and Jaak Valge. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.48 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €425 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
36 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 11 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (180 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo, Helle-Moonika Helme and Arvo Aller. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.33 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €350 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
37 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (186 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo, Helle-Moonika Helme and Leo Kunnas. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.37 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €370 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
37 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (197 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Ants Frosch and Leo Kunnas. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.46 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €415 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
38 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (219 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Kert Kingo and Helle-Moonika Helme. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.42 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €395 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
38 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (248 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas, Kert Kingo and Rain Epler. It was intended to increase the tax-free threshold for personal car allowance for employees in view of the rise in fuel prices in recent years. Under the Bill, in the event that driving records are kept, the tax-free threshold for the allowance paid to a person would have been €0.43 per kilometre, instead of €0.3, but not more than €400 per month for each employer paying the allowance.
40 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 10 voted against it.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
