News
Villy Lopman represents Estonian Bar Association in Riigikogu Finance Committee
Villy Lopman represents Estonian Bar Association in Riigikogu Finance Committee
On 17 September, RASK's tax team head of practice Villy Lopman represented the Estonian Bar Association at a sitting of the Finance Committee of the Riigikogu discussing the legal norms regulating tax secrecy and related legislative amendments.
According to the Bar Association, the very definition of tax secrecy requires further clarification. At present, the provisions of the Taxation Act regulating tax secrecy already allow for more than sixty different ways of disclosing information subject to tax secrecy. This means that we no longer have regulatory clarity ensuring the protection of taxpayers' interests, that is, their tax secrecy. When the regulation of tax secrecy loses its legal substance, this will eventually affect the behaviour of taxpayers and ultimately tax collection. Tax secrecy must be protected by clear regulations that are understood in the same way by both officials and taxpayers.
In addition to the Bar Association, representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications attended the committee sitting.
According to the Bar Association, the very definition of tax secrecy requires further clarification. At present, the provisions of the Taxation Act regulating tax secrecy already allow for more than sixty different ways of disclosing information subject to tax secrecy. This means that we no longer have regulatory clarity ensuring the protection of taxpayers' interests, that is, their tax secrecy. When the regulation of tax secrecy loses its legal substance, this will eventually affect the behaviour of taxpayers and ultimately tax collection. Tax secrecy must be protected by clear regulations that are understood in the same way by both officials and taxpayers.
In addition to the Bar Association, representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications attended the committee sitting.