10,000 signatures gathered under petition calling for lower taxes on electricity and gas

RIGA - 10,000 signatures have been gathered on the Manabalss.lv public initiatives portal under a petition calling for lower taxes on electricity and gas for all citizens.

The initiative was submitted by Olga Vinogradova, who is calling for a temporary reduction in one of the taxes that affect the final electricity and gas payments - value added tax or natural resources tax.

Vinogradova proposes to reduce the taxes until the prices normalize or at least until the end of the heating season.

Vinogradova believes that these changes are needed already in the near future. "The burden on Latvian households is too heavy, and the state must be accommodating to its citizens during this crisis also," she said.

She emphasized that these amendments would help the people of Latvia to survive this winter, as the rising electricity and gas prices already are difficult for many people to cope with.

The initiative will now be reviewed by Saeima Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee.