Committee aims to keep Estonia competitive in the global online landscape
With neighbouring Finland introducing online gaming next year, the Finance Committee of the Riigikogu (the Estonian Parliament) has passed regulation to lower online gaming tax from six per cent to four per cent, decreasing by 0.5 per cent per year.
Last year, a decision was made to increase gambling tax to six per cent in 2025, with a further increase to seven per cent scheduled for 2026. However, this failed to generate additional revenue for the state, leading to a re-evaluation of the tax strategy.
The Committee’s thinking is to make sure Estonia remains competitive in the global online landscape.
Alongside this is an amendment to change how the tax collected from gambling operators is allocated.
Reform MP Mart Võrklaev, voted to cut the gambling tax after criticising it. Speaking Estonian news outlet EER, he said: “This is still a very bad piece of legislation. I’d even go so far as to say it’s the worst one this session. It drains money from the state budget, culture loses funding because of it and it also increases money laundering risks. I’ve always spoken out loudly whenever this issue has come up. I’ve urged others to think twice and not go through with it, especially MPs from Eesti 200, since this has really been the pet project of one or two members. It’s no secret the coalition has been held hostage over it: the threat has been that if this bill doesn’t pass, then the state budget won’t get the votes and the coalition will fall.
“I was critical of the substance and still am. Unfortunately, efforts to explain that fell flat. This bill would have passed with or without my vote. However, I saw a need to make savings in the state budget. I proposed cutting €9 million from the maritime transport subsidy for one year — that’s over €40 million across four years. That was my compromise: if we’re going to move forward with this bill anyway, then let’s at least save money in the budget. I was ready to support it on those terms and the agreement was that the savings proposal would be submitted by the government.”
The post Estonia bucks European trend and lowers tax on online gaming appeared first on G3 Newswire.
Committee aims to keep Estonia competitive in the global online landscape With neighbouring Finland introducing online gaming next year, the Finance Committee of the Riigikogu (the Estonian Parliament) has passed regulation to lower online gaming tax from six per cent to four per cent, decreasing by 0.5 per cent per year. Last year, a decision…
The post Estonia bucks European trend and lowers tax on online gaming appeared first on G3 Newswire.