- Estonia’s finance minister criticizes the plan to lower VAT on food as a waste of money
- The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture is analyzing the feasibility of reducing VAT on food products
- Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi argues that previous studies show no positive impact from lowering VAT on food
- Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman is pushing for the study despite opposition
- Hartman believes lowering food prices will increase consumer choice and support domestic products
- The Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce and retail chains have expressed concerns about high food prices
- A study by the Rural Development Research Center is underway to assess the potential impact of VAT adjustments
- Results of the study are expected by spring to inform state budget negotiations in the fall
- Ligi is frustrated with the initiative and plans to discredit the study if it supports VAT reduction on food products
- Hartman notes that smaller-scale analyses by the Ministry of Finance have been conducted but insists on a thorough review
Source: news.err.ee
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
