Taxpayers' Enemy Award goes to minister of social affairs
15.02.2012, 13:46The Taxpayer Association led by Jüri Allikalt announced yesterday that it has given its traditional Taxpayers’ Enemy Award to Hanno Pevkur, minister of social affairs.
Pevkur was mentioned as Estonian taxpayers enemy in the same group with the prime minister Andrus Ansip and finance minister Jürgen Ligi.
Pevkur got the award for his role in rejecting the proposal to cut the unemployment insurance fee charged from companies and workers. It has been calculated that the decision cost every Estonian resident who earns average wages 5.2 euros a month and every company employee 3.3 euros a month.
The move created a major rift between the government, the employers and the trade unions and put the management of the unemployment insurance fund at risk.
The association also found that the government’s plan to move the unemployment insurance and health insurance funds to the treasury with the aim of balancing the budget are dangerous.
Surprisingly, this year the association did not give out the award for the Taxpayers’ Friend. It said that while there were good developments such as abolishing the land tax, the central and local authorities at the same time increased the tax burden.
Fuel retailer Statoil Eesti got a special prize for its initiative in disputing the sales tax charged by the City of Tallinn in court.