By Months: Rain Epler
Total Months: 19
Fully Profiled: 19
10.2025
48 Speeches
Economic views emphasize budget transparency and the independence of critical economic analyses from the government. Implicit opposition is expressed toward government intervention in the business sector, criticizing the minister's attacks against merchants for building stores. Clarity is demanded regarding the "crazy ideas" that either remained in or were removed from the budget.
09.2025
35 Speeches
The speaker is concerned about the decline in the economic competitiveness of Europe and Estonia, attributing this trend to energy dependence (fossil fuel imports) and over-regulation. He advocates for sound energy decisions and Estonia's return to the role of an electricity exporter, strongly opposing the prioritization of wind and solar power.
06.2025
43 Speeches
Strongly opposed to bureaucratic and tax burdens, supporting the abolition of the car tax and ESG reporting. Views green energy as expensive and inefficient, highlighting its significant spatial footprint and the necessity of further investments (batteries, gas power plants). Favors transparent political party donations without the current complex regulatory framework.
05.2025
65 Speeches
Strongly advocates for favorable energy input (oil shale at 30–40 EUR/MWh) as the foundation for economic growth and competitiveness, contrasting this with subsidized intermittent electricity. It sharply opposes government tax hikes (car tax, VAT, excise duties), considering them irresponsible and punitive toward lower-income residents. It supports reducing bureaucracy, such as making ESG reporting voluntary.
04.2025
54 Speeches
The economic platform is strongly tax-critical and consumption-supportive, demanding a reduction of the VAT on groceries to 5% in order to improve family livelihoods and stimulate domestic consumption. It supports state intervention in the financial sector to prevent banks from engaging in "excessive profiteering" through the taxation of extraordinary profits. It considers cheap and reliable domestic energy (oil shale, nuclear power) the key to economic revitalization, standing against the waste involved in developing wind farms and gas plants.
03.2025
17 Speeches
Economic views are strongly focused on tax reduction and anti-bureaucracy, being particularly critical of the car tax and security tax components, which they argue are strangling the economy. They believe that unfair taxation is squeezing money out of families with children and residents of rural areas. The speaker advocates for exempting industry from the CO2 quota fee to ensure a weather-independent and sufficiently accessible energy supply.
02.2025
18 Speeches
The speaker is critical of the government's fiscal policy, pointing to the deterioration of the budget situation. He strongly opposes large state subsidy schemes (2.6 billion euros allocated to the energy sector), branding them "stupid decisions" that are making Estonia poorer. He emphasizes the necessity of conducting an economic impact assessment before implementing new regulations.
01.2025
45 Speeches
It supports stimulating the economy by lowering taxes (specifically reducing the VAT on foodstuffs below 9%) and cutting wasteful spending, aiming to give the economy "oxygen." It advocates for implementing an extraordinary bank tax on excess profits generated by rapidly raising interest rates without compensating depositors. It strongly opposes new taxes (such as a car tax or the abolition of the income tax exemption) and expenditures related to the green transition that lead to energy poverty.
12.2024
19 Speeches
The speaker is strongly opposed to tax hikes, arguing that they choke off economic activity and diminish purchasing power, which has resulted in Estonia having the largest economic contraction in Europe. He supports state budget reform aimed at transitioning to an expenditure-based budget and restricting the constant reallocation of funds, thereby bolstering fiscal discipline regarding spending.
11.2024
38 Speeches
Economic views are strongly fiscally conservative, opposing tax increases (land tax, VAT, car tax) and the growth of national debt, while simultaneously emphasizing the need to streamline public finances. It emphasizes the importance of competitiveness, which is threatened by expensive energy and the green transition. It supports a profit-oriented economy, viewing it as a source of innovation and prosperity, and criticizes the state's spending on peripheral activities (e.g., PR departments).
10.2024
73 Speeches
The speaker is strongly opposed to tax increases, particularly during an economic recession, arguing that they harm competitiveness (especially compared to Latvia and Lithuania) and worsen the financial situation of low-income families. He criticizes the government's "irrational" spending (citing Rail Baltic and renewable energy subsidies) and calls for a thorough review of state expenditures. Furthermore, he supports implementing a bank tax to levy extraordinary profits and criticizes the banks' conduct regarding the raising of deposit interest rates.
09.2024
32 Speeches
There is strong opposition to tax increases (VAT, progressive income tax), which are viewed as hindering economic growth and damaging to lower-income groups. It criticizes the progressive income tax as a "class hatred narrative" and condemns the government's actions for driving the country toward poverty. Furthermore, it advocates for stable and reasonably priced electricity to support industrial companies and criticizes the squandering of subsidized renewable energy.
07.2024
17 Speeches
Economic views are strongly opposed to tax increases, especially during a recession, as they worsen people's standard of living and undermine business confidence. The speaker criticizes the government’s spending addiction and demands that tax implementation must have a clear, single primary objective, rather than simply collecting funds, because "money just gets spent everywhere." He predicts that this cascade of taxes will result in people doing their shopping in neighboring countries and ultimately moving away from Estonia.
06.2024
22 Speeches
The speaker is vehemently opposed to the tax hikes (car tax, VAT), criticizing their unfair impact on the poorer segments of society and families with children. They demand responsible fiscal policy, criticize the state for squandering public money (Rail Baltic, renewable energy subsidies), and advocate for taxing the enormous profits made by banks.
05.2024
36 Speeches
His economic views are focused on policies opposing the increase of tax revenue, especially concerning pensioners (the promise of a tax-free pension) and lower-income individuals. He supports taxing extraordinary bank profits or redirecting them back to society by raising interest rates on deposits, arguing that the profits resulted from the actions of central banks, not the efforts of the bankers themselves. He criticizes the green transition support schemes, which, in his estimation, increase energy poverty and favor the wealthy.
04.2024
51 Speeches
The speaker is vehemently opposed to ideological regulation in the banking sector ("green rules") and state intervention in the energy market (universal service). He criticizes the public sector pay hike, which he believes drives up costs and justifies raising various fees and levies. He advocates for channeling funds toward families with children and road maintenance, instead of spending on "absurd green energy" and "utopian ideological projects."
03.2024
64 Speeches
Supports taxing the banking sector's windfall profits (a bank tax), arguing that banks earned this profit "without lifting a finger" thanks to the central bank's actions. He is strongly opposed to the government's general tax hikes (including the car tax) and criticizes regulations that are strangling businesses. He prefers channeling money directly into the profits of Estonian companies rather than handing it over to the central government, and supports temporary measures aimed at boosting state treasury revenue.
02.2024
5 Speeches
The speaker is a strong proponent of the market economy and growth, advocating for tax cuts aimed at boosting investment capacity. He stands in opposition to the approach taken by the socialists, which centers on collecting and redistributing funds. He argues that mandating an increase in the minimum wage is unnecessary, as the current labor shortage already compels businesses to pay competitive wages.
01.2024
47 Speeches
The economic views strongly favor reducing the tax burden, proposing cuts to the VAT (to 18%, 19%, or 19.6%) and raising the tax-exempt limit for the use of personal vehicles. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of improving Estonia's competitiveness, while criticizing the significant increase in electricity prices compared to Finland during the current government’s term in office. He/She is critical of regulations that restrict private property and good stewardship, referencing ideas from the World Economic Forum.