By Agendas: Mart Võrklaev

The political focus is on curbing inflation, reducing the state finance deficit, and stimulating economic growth. Emphasis is placed on the need to balance high defense expenditures (over 5% of GDP) by securing permanent funding from current revenues to prevent the deterioration of the fiscal position. The stance towards the Bank of Estonia is supportive and appreciative, highlighting its independence and expertise in formulating economic policy decisions.

The political emphasis is placed on evaluating the work of the state supervision (the Financial Supervision Authority) and monitoring the execution of new legislative duties. The speaker is concerned about the regulation of the financial market and the licensing process for market participants (crypto assets, credit unions). The approach is rather outcome-based, seeking information regarding the practical impact and implementation of the regulations.

The political position is one of strong support for stricter regulation of the activities of credit unions, compelling them to convert into a bank or a cooperative bank if they wish to continue attracting deposits. This stance is clearly policy-driven, focusing on protecting depositors' money and ensuring financial stability. The speaker defends the bill as a long-sought point of balance that safeguards thousands of depositors.

The most prominent topic is the motor vehicle tax, where we see strong opposition to the introduction of new taxes (S1) coupled with a firm defense of the social measures financed by the resulting tax revenue (S2). S1 frames its position based on core values, criticizing the Social Democrats' overall "tax frenzy" and the swelling of the tax burden. S2 focuses on policy effectiveness, defending the allocation of needs-based support specifically to people with special needs.

The political stance strongly supports updating financial regulation to expand the ability of payment and e-money institutions to offer instant payment services. The objective is to create a level playing field in a market currently restricted solely to banks. The formation of this position is clearly policy-driven, focusing on improving service accessibility and increasing competition.

The speaker strongly supports the amendments to the Law of Obligations Act concerning the clarification of basic payment service regulations and the requirement for vital service providers to offer offline card payments in an emergency. The political stance is rather procedural and regulatory, focusing on the streamlining of norms and technical accuracy. Support for the bill is strong, as all amendments were adopted by consensus within the committee.

The speaker adopts a strong position, refuting the opposition's claims regarding the kindergarten fee in Rae Municipality. They emphasize the actual price (€132.90) in contrast to the €170 alleged by the Social Democrats. This stance clearly defends the current administrative direction of Rae Municipality and stands in opposition to the Social Democrats' policy, which is characterized as fear-mongering and expensive. This is primarily a position focused on performance and verifiable facts.

Supports the adoption of Draft Bill 634 SE, which is aimed at transposing European Union law. The political stance seeks to increase competition and innovation in the payment services market by allowing payment institutions direct access to central bank systems. This position is clearly driven by policy and regulation.

The political focus is on the sensible and precise planning of state funds and financial discipline, especially within the education sector. The speaker strongly criticizes the Ministry of Education and Research for its inability to execute the budget and utilize funds, highlighting significant surpluses at a time when the sector was facing a shortage of money. This stance is results-oriented, demanding accountability given the complex state of the national budget.

The political focus is results-oriented, emphasizing the successful deployment of European Union funds to stimulate the economy during this challenging period. The speaker strongly backs the utilization of EU resources for implementing reforms. Furthermore, concern is raised regarding the significant budgetary pressure that defense spending places on other sectors, prompting a search for solutions (the ReArm initiative). The overall policy aims to enhance the nation's financial and economic performance.

The political position is focused on processing financial regulation (amendments to the Law of Obligations Act) and transposing the directive. Support is given to further discussion of the bill, but the necessity for more detailed regulation (basic payment account) is stressed, and the short deadline for the bill's entry into force is criticized. The approach is clearly policy-driven and focuses on improving technical solutions.

The political focus is on the challenging situation of the state budget and the necessity of using scarce resources wisely. The speaker strongly supports funding for sports and culture but questions the organization of resource distribution, pointing to a contradiction between increased tax revenues and the perceived lack of funds. The overall stance is results-oriented and focuses on criticizing the efficiency of financial management.

The political focus is heavily directed toward budget discipline and bringing state finances into order, criticizing previous irresponsible spending. Although the tax increases necessary to raise defense spending (VAT, income tax, excise duties) are supported, the motor vehicle tax is viewed as an inevitable consequence of the large deficit accumulated previously. In the long run, the speaker favors a "slimmer state" that intervenes less, offers fewer subsidies, and imposes lower taxes.

The speaker’s main position is procedural and focuses on the quality of legislation, supporting the Finance Committee’s proposal to reject the draft bill (592 SE) concerning the repeal of the motor vehicle tax. The rejection of the bill is justified by its flaws, lack of substance, and the insufficient explanation provided by the submitter, hinting that this may constitute an attempt to pursue populism. In their official capacity as rapporteur, the speaker refrains from expressing a personal opinion, adhering strictly to the committee's decision.

The main political position revolves around the rejection of the draft bill (571 SE) seeking to repeal the motor vehicle tax law, a rejection which the Finance Committee supported by a vote of 6:3. One speaker (Mart Võrklaev) adopted a strong defensive posture, stressing his previous opposition to the Social Democrats' demands to tax people even more aggressively and based on higher CO2 emission brackets. The positions are heavily politically charged, focusing on shifting responsibility for the authorship of the tax.

The political focus is currently centered on sharp criticism of the financial decisions made by the previous EKREIKE government (Ratas, Helme, Reinsalu), particularly the allocation of 30 million euros to Nordica at a time when the company wasn't even flying out of Estonia anymore. The speaker stresses the need for accountability and criticizes the government's distribution of questionable subsidies (like the Porto Franco case) which were carried out under the guise of the COVID crisis. Although the incident is seen as a cautionary tale, there is resistance to forming a new Riigikogu (Parliamentary) investigative committee, with a preference for relying on existing criminal proceedings.

The political position is one of strong opposition to the new solidarity tax on the banking sector, stressing that the existing tax system is already highly beneficial for both the state and its citizens. The focus is on a results-based framework, highlighting significantly increased tax revenues (with nearly one billion euros forecasted between 2023 and 2028).

The political position centers on the urgent need to resolve the serious social problems caused by dangerous pets that have been terrorizing residents. This stance is results-driven, demanding the swift enactment of the law and clarity regarding which specific bill will provide the solution. The speaker also criticizes political gamesmanship and procedural uncertainty when addressing these serious topics.

The political stance is strongly supportive of the original draft legislation concerning the cleanup of the register and the disposal of derelict vehicles. However, the speaker is vehemently opposed to the recently added amendment proposal, which would exempt vehicles temporarily removed from the register from the motor vehicle tax. This opposition stems from the violation of environmental objectives, the negative impact on the state budget, and the creation of social inequality. The position is deeply rooted in policy and values, emphasizing the crucial importance of equality and environmental protection.

The speaker strongly supports simplifying the taxation of the enterprise account by abolishing the higher 40% tax rate and establishing a uniform 20% rate for income up to 40,000 euros. The political focus is on fiscal responsibility and reducing the negative budgetary impact, which is why the social tax amendment was dropped to prevent a decrease in tax revenue. The previous 50% income tax liability for companies purchasing services from an enterprise account user has been eliminated.

The most crucial issue is the complex state of public finances and the necessity to achieve significant cost savings. The political position strongly advocates for fiscal discipline, highlighting concerns that expenditures are outpacing revenues. The political framework is results-oriented, criticizing the opposition's alternative budget for its lack of transparency and substance.

The political position is focused on technical and regulatory compliance, strongly supporting the transposition of European Union directives aimed at reducing the administrative burden on small entrepreneurs. The stance is pragmatic, supporting changes necessitated by both European Commission guidelines and practical implementation difficulties, such as the postponement of software development schedules. The approach is clearly policy-based and focuses on the smooth processing of legislation.

The core political stance involves vigorous opposition to the bill proposed by Isamaa aimed at repealing the motor vehicle tax. This includes supporting the Finance Committee's motion to reject the bill (which passed 7 votes to 2). The stance is heavily procedural, emphasizing the quality of the legislative process and highlighting the initiators' failure to conduct a substantive debate within the committee. Furthermore, it defends the prior establishment of the car tax, stressing that the decision was made by the Riigikogu (Parliament), not by a single individual.

The most important topic is the processing of the draft State Budget Act, focusing on the accurate representation of the financing formulas for local authorities within the text of the law. The position is policy- and procedure-centric, emphasizing the verification of the existence of the equalization and support fund formula in Section 3 of the state budget text.

The political position is strongly defensive regarding previous tax reforms, emphasizing that the abolition of the tax bulge and the expansion of the income tax-free minimum left people (e.g., a teacher earning the average salary) with more money annually. The position is results-oriented, focusing on concrete net benefits and defending the accuracy of the facts. The speaker prioritizes the precise and honest treatment of tax policy.

The political focus centers on amendments to the simplified taxation law for entrepreneurial income and achieving tax parity between private limited companies (OÜs) and users of the business account system. Aivar Kokk voiced concern regarding the disparate situation and the resulting additional administrative burden for entrepreneurs, adopting a critical stance toward the amendment. The Government (Minister/Ani) justified the change by referencing the rise in real value and the harmonization with the VAT liability threshold (€40,000).

The political stance is centered on introducing the substantive amendments to the work of the Finance Committee and Draft Bill 462 SE. Support is given to closing tax loopholes concerning the VAT-exempt sale of new real estate, emphasizing the need for technical clarification of the legislation. The overall treatment is procedural and policy-driven, rather than values-driven.

The political focus centers on environmental regulations and waste management, particularly concerning the obligations for the collection and financing of end-of-life vehicles. They maintain a positive yet inquisitive stance toward the draft legislation, stressing that the disposal of scrap vehicles has a "very significant impact." This is a policy-driven approach seeking clarification on the specific implementation details.