Reform Party MP Siim Kallas has announced that the government could very easily collect higher amounts from car owners than currently planned, writes ERR News.
In an opinion piece published on August 1 in the Estonian newspaper Eesti Päevaleht, Kallas stated: “A million vehicles, €1,000 on each — a billion for balancing the budget and restoring financial credibility.” He said that if the society intends to hold on to the support provided by the state with all its might, then it must adequately invest in the state’s profit.
The new car operating tax system created by the Ministry of Finance of Estonia provides that the amount will depend on the volume, mass, and age of the car’s engine. For example, the tax for a 2017 Škoda Octavia with a diesel engine will be 145 euros.
Kallas also does not support the use of budget funds for road maintenance.
He noted that Estonian road construction companies require four billion euros for road construction. There are more than a million cars in the traffic register list, which means that 4,000 euros per car are needed for road repairs. The politician asked why Estonians want roads to be built at the expense of teachers, policemen, and doctors’ salaries.
The politician pointed out that in other parts of Europe and also in the US, traffic is a huge burden on society, and it is shared with the drivers.
He added that a car is a luxury, not a necessity,
and in addition to streamlining traffic, it is considered normal everywhere else that car operating taxes fill the public purse.
According to a Norstat survey in July, 21% of respondents support the government’s proposed car running tax, while 72% oppose it. The only ones among whom there were more supporters of the tax than its opponents were the voters of the Reform Party.
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