At today’s meeting, the expert group got an overview of the scenarios addressed in the analysis of the future of taxation carried out by the Foresight Centre in 2021. “So far, most tax debates have focused primarily on the budget revenue and less on environmental objectives, which is why these topics need to be addressed more in the debate. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that environmentally friendly trends in taxation should develop in parallel with measures that would help to prevent the escalation of coping difficulties,” said Lauri Tammiste, the head of the expert group.
The members of the expert group emphasised that both the tax and investment environments should promote environmentally-friendly behaviour. The panel of experts discussed how financial instruments could better support the achievement of green policy objectives and how the state could more effectively address situations where the positive impact of investments on society and the environment outweighs the direct benefits to the investor.
The experts will present their final report to the Green Policy Steering Committee composed of members of the government in March. The activities of the expert group are coordinated by the Government Office and its members include: Tõnis Arjus, Ivar Dembovski, Aveliina Helm, Marti Hääl, Arno Kütt, Priit Lepasepp, Taavi Madiberk, Margus Muld, Marek Rannala, Helen Sooväli-Sepping, Anne Sulling, Madis Toomsalu, Eva Truuverk and Ants-Hannes Viira.
