Session Profile: Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart

An opposition representative, confirmedly critical of the government's economic policy. He fights against increases in personal taxes and promotes taxing banks' excess profits as an alternative source of funding, emphasizing that current measures primarily harm low-income individuals. He argues that temporary tax hikes are unreliable and promises that if the Center Party (Keskerakond) comes to power, the car tax and other tax increases will be abolished; his position is strongly policy-driven and resistant to new ideas in the competitive sector.

Demonstrates knowledge of economics, tax policy, and public finance: references Peeter Raudsepp, the head of the Estonian Institute of Economic Research, the National Audit Office report, and conclusions regarding taxation; highlights the nuances of advance income tax, VAT, and bank taxation, as well as issues concerning secret contracts with RMK (State Forest Management Centre). Uses specific terminology and institutional references to strengthen the arguments.

Inappropriate and mixed style: combative, accusatory, and emotionally charged. It employs rhetorical questions and strong turns of phrase (e.g., "criminal"), along with significant rhetorical reinforcement designed to capture the audience's attention; it balances emotion with facts, but generally leans sharply toward criticism.

Shows intensive daytime activity in plenary sessions: multiple comments on the same day (2025-02-10) and follow-up remarks on various topics. This includes adjacent issues (taxes, long-term care, budget transparency, conclusions of the National Audit Office) and references to IT or media usage questions. It appears that the speeches and reactions are consistent and engage directly with specific ministers and political parties during the same session.

Clearly antagonistic towards the government and the Reform Party coalition: the criticism centers on taxation, the impact of economic policy on ordinary citizens, and budget transparency. It highlights that the government has managed the economy "criminally" and proposes, as an alternative, the taxation of banks' excess profits; it stresses the need to protect vulnerable groups and promises changes to the tax system should there be a potential change in power.

There is no clear, significant willingness to cooperate; the impression is that the leading platform or agenda values the ideas of other parties (e.g., the Reform Party's rhetoric on legal certainty and trust, the Centre Party's bank tax proposals), but there is no mention of a specific form of cooperation or concrete cooperation projects. The focus is primarily on respecting the opposition's separate viewpoint.

A national, comprehensive focus; referring to the boundaries of tax policy and the economy, and the context of the Baltic states (with comparisons to Latvia and Lithuania). There is no emphasis on representation for a specific region or local government; the core focus is on Estonia's broader economic and social policy and international competition within that context.

The economic policy mix: It opposes the current tax policy (income tax, VAT) and emphasizes shrinking incomes and rising consumer costs. It also advocates for taxing banks' excess profits to ease the burden on ordinary people; it believes there is a lack of trust regarding the continuation of temporary tax hikes and wants economic growth to be driven by systematized tax increases and new economic sectors (e.g., wind farms). It acknowledges the difficulty of the situation and the need to finance Estonian-language priorities through alternative sources.

It focuses on social consequences: emphasizing that tax increases and taxes primarily affect vulnerable groups (low-income families, pensioners, people with disabilities, multi-child families). It agrees with the need to strengthen social justice and resilience, highlighting the impact of family and consumption costs. Additionally, it addresses areas at the school or youth level, such as reducing the information gap and pathways to climate change, as well as teaching children information criticism (fake news/misinformation), which is socially important and relates to the broader topic of socioeconomic vulnerability.

The main directions are tax administration and budgetary regulations: it seeks the taxation of banks' excess profits and significant critical attention to the legitimization of temporary tax increases and the possibility of their repeal by future governments. It refers to the study of the plan, including increasing the transparency of budgetary and distribution policy related to the care reform in light of the conclusions of the National Audit Office. It issues a plan for submitting analyses regarding the impact of draft legislation (e.g., bank taxation, changes to the car tax) and political decisions on children and society.