By Months: Rene Kokk
Total Months: 11
Fully Profiled: 11
12.2024
15 Speeches
The economic stance is firmly against tax increases (excise duties, car tax, VAT), viewing them as harmful to Estonian people and enterprise. They criticize policies that drive trade (alcohol) out of Estonia and into Latvia, and they oppose unreasonable cost-based levies (like the 800 euros for removing an old vehicle from the register).
11.2024
18 Speeches
Strong opposition to new taxes, especially the car tax, which is seen as causing impoverishment and disproportionately hitting large families. It criticizes state spending that subsidizes profitable sectors (wind energy) while crucial social and educational institutions remain unfunded. The overall stance is fiscally cautious, but it emphasizes the importance of regional and social expenditures.
10.2024
24 Speeches
Economic views are strongly opposed to tax increases, especially excise duties, as these drive consumption across the border and consequently reduce tax revenue. Emphasis is placed on the vital circulation of the economy and infrastructure, and the government is criticized for focusing on reducing consumption rather than fostering growth. The trend of vehicle aging is linked to a negative impact on road safety and the introduction of a car tax.
09.2024
14 Speeches
He/She advocates for economic nationalism and domestic production, stressing the need to launch ammunition manufacturing in Estonia to prevent billions of euros from leaving the economy. He/She supports the interests of farmers, criticizing the government's austerity policy regarding the termination of compensation for goose damage. Furthermore, he/she warns against foreign money that distorts the land market, and advises landowners to rent rather than sell when dealing with wind parks.
07.2024
11 Speeches
The speaker is vehemently opposed to tax hikes, arguing they are detrimental to the economy and warning that they will drive businesses out of Estonia. The necessity of restoring fiscal discipline and budget transparency is stressed before any new taxes are implemented. Furthermore, concern is voiced over the reduction in cash handling, predicting a subsequent rise in cash transactions as a result of tax optimization efforts.
06.2024
9 Speeches
The speaker is strongly opposed to new taxes, particularly the car tax, which they view as a wealth tax that harms people in rural areas. To improve the budgetary situation, they propose halting the construction of Rail Baltic (saving over 300 million), abolishing the tax hump (saving 500 million), and introducing a bank tax to channel extraordinary bank profits into the state budget. Criticism is also leveled at the loss of a 700 million euro investment to Latvia.
05.2024
11 Speeches
Economic views are focused on supporting the taxation of extraordinary bank profits (citing the impact of Euribor) and opposing taxes designed to meet budgetary requirements. The government's rationale for not implementing a bank tax (namely, maintaining capital availability for businesses) is criticized. Furthermore, there is opposition to forcing local governments to raise the land tax due to insufficient state funding.
04.2024
14 Speeches
The economic views strongly oppose tax increases, arguing that they damage competitiveness, exacerbate inflation, and drive up the cost of living. The speaker supports increasing business efficiency (for example, by allowing longer road trains) and demands an audit of state budget expenditures—specifically the funding of NGOs—in order to find alternatives to raising taxes. They emphasize the necessity of improving the transport sector's competitiveness.
03.2024
18 Speeches
Economic policies are aimed at alleviating the tax burden and improving the financial well-being of the population. There is support for lowering the VAT on foodstuffs to assist families facing economic hardship, alongside criticism of new taxes (such as the car tax and the sugar tax) and the taxation of pensioners. In the energy sector, nuclear power is supported, but the necessity of maintaining oil shale reserves for energy production is stressed.
02.2024
15 Speeches
Economic policies focus on protecting domestic entrepreneurship and production, and they are strongly opposed to the car tax, arguing that it harms businesses and low-income individuals. They support taxing banks' extraordinary profits (a bank tax) with the goal of improving capital availability, especially in the agricultural sector. The government is criticized for suppressing domestic savings and loan associations while allowing foreign banks to reap massive profits.
01.2024
26 Speeches
The speaker is a strong advocate for tax reductions, having introduced bills aimed at lowering personal income tax (currently 18.4%) and corporate income tax to provide support to individuals and businesses facing inflationary pressures. He opposes increases to the VAT (including those affecting the media/press) and excise duty hikes (specifically on oil shale heating oil). Furthermore, he criticizes the proposed vehicle tax, predicting that it will negatively affect road safety.