As state budget talks get underway, Estonian business leaders are pressing the government for predictable taxes, streamlined bureaucracy and clear long-term budget plans.
The Estonian government kicked off state budget talks last week. Business owners say cuts should target not public services, but government bureaucracy.
“We’ve been consistently calling for major cuts to the policymaking apparatus — for some reason, nobody seems willing to listen,” said Toomas Luman, chair of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EKTK).
“We’re not talking about public services like fire, police, border control, healthcare or teachers,” Luman clarified, noting that what they mean is things like ministries and central agencies.
“Right now, two things are strangling Estonia’s economy: taxes — both the rates and the major confusion around them — and the terrible bureaucracy,” he added.
More read: ERR.EE
