By Plenary Sessions: Lauri Läänemets

The speaker is strongly in favor of redistribution, calling for a progressive income tax and measures to balance the concentration of wealth. They oppose increases to the value-added tax (VAT), especially on foodstuffs, and advocate for a lower VAT rate (e.g., 9%) to support the average family. They stress that a fair tax system is a prerequisite for long-term economic growth, not an impediment.

Economic perspectives highlight the necessity of a robust and effective competition law that would facilitate the improvement of Estonia's competitive landscape. The current legislation is deemed detrimental to both businesses and consumers, with concerns raised regarding the quality of the regulation.

Economic perspectives are highly critical of the Competition Act, which allegedly serves narrow business interests and fails to help Estonian entrepreneurs. The speaker opposes the state’s entry into commercial activity (specifically, the sale of prison services to Sweden), arguing that it removes people from the labor market who could otherwise be generating greater wealth and prosperity for Estonia.

The stance is strongly anti-neoliberal and pro-redistribution, calling for the abolition of the regressive tax system and the implementation of a progressive income tax. It advocates for reducing VAT on food (from 24% to 9%) and stresses the critical importance of investing in human capital (education, health) to secure long-term economic growth. Furthermore, it criticizes wealth inequality, noting that 10% of the population controls 59% of the wealth, and stands firmly against using cheap foreign labor as a solution to economic challenges.

The economic viewpoint advocates for state investment in education (early childhood, basic, and higher education), stressing that it is an investment in human capital from which the state ultimately benefits economically. This implies support for funding social benefits via the state budget and highlights the economic returns generated through education.

Economic views are strongly pro-labor, standing in opposition to an economy built on cheap labor and the curtailment of workers' rights. Support is given to the state's role in guaranteeing social security and public services, while tax policies favoring the wealthy are criticized. The speaker emphasizes that the state must not "hollow itself out" or become too lean, and must invest in public interests, not solely private ones.

The economic perspective centers on establishing fair competition and a level playing field for all businesses, supporting regulatory measures designed to achieve this goal. The speaker views the current state of fair competition as being under threat and connects this situation to public order problems.

Economic perspectives focus on the problem of housing affordability, which impedes business activity and regional development, citing the example of a dairy industrialist. It supports state intervention measures, such as regulating rental prices or constructing municipal housing, to mitigate the disparity between wage increases and housing costs.

The speaker is critical of the commercialization of social care services, pointing out that this has resulted in higher prices. They advocate for intervention and thorough analysis to ensure service accessibility, rather than profit maximization. They prefer state guarantees and targeted funding to prevent funds from being diluted or lost within the local government budget.