Tartu mayor calls on minister to resign

Feb 06, 2009
TBT Staff in cooperation with BNS

TARTU - Tartu Mayor and Chairman of the Board of the Association of Estonian Cities Urmas Kruuse has called on the minister of regional affairs to step down. Kruuse said Minister Siim-Valmar Kiisler "did not understand" the nature of municipal governments.

"A person who does not understand the essence of local self-government and compares it with a subordinate institution of a ministry is not fit to serve as minister of regional affairs and capable of implementing administrative reform. That's why he himself has become the biggest obstacle to reform," Kruuse said.

The comments came on the heels of the announcement that municipal governments would receive less tax revenue following the proposed budget cuts.

Presently the part of the income tax transferred into the budgets of self-governments stands at 11.93 percent of a person's gross pay. Under the planned budget cuts this will be reduced to 11.1 percent, which is less than in the 1990s.

Slashing the main source of self-governments' income, the personal income tax, is a clear sign that Kiisler has failed to realize during his time in office what regional policy is and how important a role local self-governments play, Kruuse said.

"Even though it is understandable that in the present economic conditions cuts affect all areas and levels of governance, an axe job on self-governments' income is inconceivable," Kruuse said.

"The minister has the responsibility to explain to the government the importance of the personal income tax to local governments. If he fails in this, the question arises whether we need this position at all," he said.

The mayor suggested the minister read again the European charter of local self-government, which establishes the principles of both local autonomy and subsidiarity according to which all decisions should be made as closely to citizens as possible.

"It is therefore essential for us to retain a source of income free from political wrangling," Kruuse said.

"Local self-government must not be at the mercy of a minister without portfolio."

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