Agenda Profile: Madis Kallas
Draft law on the partial repeal of the Value Added Tax Act Amendment Act (489 SE) – first reading
2024-11-11
15th Riigikogu, 4th session, plenary session
Political Position
The political position is strongly supportive of decentralization, emphasizing the need to grant local municipalities (LMs) greater decision-making power in setting land tax rates. The speaker confirms that this measure has received a great deal of positive feedback from LM leaders, indicating that policy is being shaped based on local-level expectations.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates awareness of the positions held by local government leaders (mayors and rural municipality heads) on tax policy issues, drawing on personal conversations with the majority of them. This expertise focuses on the expectations and feedback of local authorities regarding national legislative amendments, emphasizing the preferences of the local level over national dictates.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The rhetorical style is interrogative and procedural, directing attention to the substance of the committee's discussion and how local feedback was addressed. Personal confirmation and references to conversations with local leaders are employed to lend weight to the argument and call into question the Social Democrats' positions.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
The speaker is actively involved in the legislative process, raising questions during the first reading of the draft bill. Active communication with the leaders of local governments is also noted, pointing to extensive fieldwork and data gathering at the local level.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The opposition is aimed at centralized state governance that dictates taxation to local governments. This indirectly challenges the positions held by the Social Democrats (SDE), particularly questioning the role of their former city and rural municipality heads on the commission and inquiring about the content of their deliberations.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The collaborative approach focuses on highlighting positive feedback from local governments (LGUs) and utilizing it to support the proposed legislative change. Clarity is being sought regarding the committee's work process to ensure that local interests are being taken into consideration.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The strong regional focus is placed on local governments and their financial autonomy. It is emphasized that the authority to decide on land tax matters must be granted to the local level, not the central government, indicating support for local flexibility.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
Economic perspectives support fiscal decentralization, giving local governments flexibility in setting the land tax. This is seen as a positive step that meets the expectations of local leaders and gives them the opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not to raise the tax.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
Insufficient data.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The legislative focus is currently on the draft bill (489 SE) concerning the partial repeal of the Act amending the Land Tax Act. The objective is to support this bill, stressing that the legislature must take into account the positive response from local authorities and guarantee them greater autonomy in decision-making.
1 Speeches Analyzed