Estonian, Finnish MPs discuss taxes

TALLINN - A meeting of the finance committee of the Riigikogu and the finance committee of the Eduskunta, the parliament of Finland, in Helsinki on Friday focused on tax systems.

Members of the Eduskunta's finance committee, led by the committee's chairman Markus Lohi, presented the Finnish tax system and the issues that need to be addressed, spokespeople for the Riigikogu said.

Annely Akkermann, the chairperson of the Estonian parliament's finance committee, said that both Estonia and Finland have similar problems that need to be solved quickly and substantively.

"We exchanged information about the tax system in our respective countries. We started from the premise that the budget deficit needs to be reduced and the increase in the debt burden needs to be stopped," Akkermann, an MP from the Reform Party, said.

The Estonian MPs briefed their Finnish colleagues on the formation of the tax base in Estonia and familiarized themselves with the arrangement for the motor vehicle tax in Finland, where the tax has been in place since 1958.

Finland wants to collect an amount equaling 0.5 percent of GDP with this tax, and they are faced with a review of the principles for collecting this tax, Akkermann said.

Toomas Uibo, member of the Riigikogu finance committee, stressed the need for cooperation with Finland in matters concerning tax systems.

"We have a lot to learn from each other so that the tax system is sustainable and as fair as possible in the long run and also applies to electric vehicles, because the number of fossil fuel-based vehicles will start to decline strongly also in our country in the future," Uibo said.

The other members of the Riigikogu finance committee who joined the visit are Kersti Sarapuu and Yoko Alender.