Estonian govt to discuss lowering electricity excise duty in fall

TALLINN – According to Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas, the government has not yet discussed possibly lowering the electricity excise duty, but will probably discuss it in the fall.

According to Ratas, the government can make decisions regarding the electricity excise duty in the framework of the state budget strategy or the state budget, and this would be discussed in August or September, Ratas said at the government press conference on Thursday.

No excise duty increases are to be expected in the framework of the present government's excise duty policy, Ratas said.

"I think the main issue of the excise duty policy at present is not electricity, but fuel and diesel," the head of government.

The stock exchange price of electricity has increased this year and an additional rise of nearly 30 percent is forecast for the next winter. According to Finance Minister Toomas Toniste, Estonia has received electricity from the stock exchange at quite a reasonable price for years, and for now the potential price increase is just a forecast, which does not mean it will definitely happen.