Speech of Toomas Luman at the Opening of the Business season on 26.08.2017

Honourable Members of the Chamber of Commerce, friends!

I welcome you again at the opening of the Chamber’s Business Season! It is a pleasure to meet at this event for the 20th year already, but first time in Tartu. We have come to Tartu for the best of reasons, because the number of members from Tartu and Tartu County is the largest after Tallinn and Harju County. Furthermore, the largest number of members that have joined the Chamber during recent years, has come from Tartu County, again, after Harju County.

Dear members of the Chamber! In its activities, the Chamber has two main ambitions – to offer assistance to its members and to facilitate the improvement of the business environment through its active work.

However, protecting the general interests of entrepreneurs has reached the point where in the interests of legal clarity we are forced to turn to the court. I would like to remind you that three years ago the opening of the Business Season was the starting point for the collection of signatures to the joint address of entrepreneurs to the Parliament, as a result of which the principle according to which taxpayers should be notified of amendments that have a negative impact on them at least half a year in advance was entered into the law six months later. Today we are arguing in the court if the principle that was clearly entered into the law is valid or not. We find ourselves in a situation where the representatives of the authorities claim that this provision does not function, because it was set out in the wrong law, up until the claim on the paper that the lawmaker is not in breach of its obligations if the law has been passed without following the standards of another law of the same level. This makes me ask – how can it be that when passing a new law, it does not have to be in line with laws passed before? This is completely inunderstandable for us. We hope that the court will explain this in the perspective of a state based on the rule of law.

This brings us to the second topic that is important for us – honest and transparent business environment. Taxes come up as an important topic here, too.

We in the Chamber have steadfastly stood for recognising honest taxpayers and favouring honest business. Our proposals have helped making the public procurements more transparent and facilitated public control over the performance of the obligation to pay taxes.

Many times the politicians have expressed their astonishment over why entrepreneurs wish that. The answer is simple. Honest and clear rules of the game benefit everyone who wish to operate in Estonia, including politicians and officials themselves. We are convinced that the applicable tax system could be made even shinier in certain corners, and be politically turned upside down with a cheer, but it will not guarantee better tax collection. Higher tax income could be guaranteed by increasing honesty and respect towards entrepreneurs and taxpayers. If entrepreneurs respect the law and state order, the politicians and officials should also respect their rights. Be it the right to have the time for adjustment ensured by the law in case of tax amendments, or tax amendments that do not limit freedom to do business; or transparent and reasonable use of public funds. Respect must be mutual!

Dear entrepreneurs! As we all know, doing business is not only concluding new contracts and dividing profits. Business brings along direct risk and financial liability as well as a lot of work. While it is difficult for us in the Chamber to do anything about the first two, we are constantly trying to decrease the load of work through the proposals aimed at decreasing red tape.

One of the more critical questions today is decreasing the workload of entrepreneurs related to submitting different economic data to the state. We are convinced that nowadays it should not be necessary to fill in different data sheets by hand or submit declarations on paper. The data that the state needs and the entrepreneur has, should move automatically through databases in a safe manner without the need to spend additional work time. This should be the government’s priority – to have the respective information technology developments ready as soon as possible and that they would be free to use for everyone. This would be a specific example on how to help entrepreneurs and improve the environment, which in turn could be used as a success story in the world and thus draw positive attention to our country.

With that I would like to conclude my speech and wish all of the members of the Chamber best of luck and success, and I declare the new business season of the Chamber open!

Thank you!

Toomas Luman, President of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry