The term of office is coming to an end. The government has agreed with the parliament that it will present its last new bills on Thursday.
Bridge decisions on several controversial bills are expected from the government this week.
The term of office is coming to an end. Parliament and the government have agreed that the government should approve its last new bills of the season by Thursday, November 17. Otherwise, the parliament may not have time to deal with them in time.
The back limit is not absolute. On the other hand, it is also not entirely certain that the motions would have time to be processed in the parliament, even if the government receives them by Thursday at the latest.
According to HS data, there are disputes over at least 15 bills. Minister of Family and Basic Services Krista Kiurun The so-called shadow five led by (sd) has gone through a total of 67 legal projects, of which 53 have not been disputed.
In addition, the governing parties have ongoing financial disputes of more than a billion euros.
Read more: The government is close to an agreement on hundreds of millions of euros, but the big disputes are still unresolved
The government is arguing about at least these bills:
1. The Sámi District Act
Many previous governments have already tried to reform the Sámi District Court Act. The current government agreed to continue the work in its government program.
The dispute concerns who will be allowed to vote and run for office in the Sámi assemblies in the future. The government has a bill ready for approval, which applies to all other government parties except the centre.
According to some Sámi, persons who are not Sámi have entered the current election list. The bill aims to tackle this problem.
The center opposes the proposal because it thinks it discriminates against some of those who consider themselves Sami.
Read more: Who is a Sami? This is what the Sámi dispute that is tearing the government apart is all about
The board discussed the proposal twice in its session last week, most recently on Sunday. Both times, the center postponed the consideration of the law by asking that it be left on the table.
Read more: Minister of Justice Henriksson: Center your table for the repetition of the Sámi district law
2. Capital gains tax, i.e. “departure tax”
The purpose of the capital gains tax is to prevent the tax planning of wealthy people. The government agreed to enact it in its budget meeting in the fall of 2021.
The purpose of the tax is to prevent situations where a wealthy person can avoid taxes on capital gains completely or almost completely by moving out of Finland.
If a person moved from Finland to a low-tax country and sold his property there, Finland would be allowed to tax the increase in value that occurred while living in Finland. The new tax would apply to situations where Finland’s right to tax is currently interrupted.
Read more: The government’s decision on the new capital gains tax raised a fierce controversy: This is what the tax is about, HS reviews the advantages and disadvantages
Critics call the tax an “exit tax”.
The Treasury minister Annika Saarikko (middle) said in Octoberthat in his opinion the tax should not be implemented. Criticism was presented also head of the Ministry of Finance Juha Majanenwhose concerns expressed by researchers, however considered exaggerated.
Juha Majanen
Read more: A dispute broke out over the departure tax: “It should be left undone,” says Minister Saarikko
3. The concept of a financial employer, i.e. “commuting tax”
It has been agreed in the government program that the so-called economic employer concept will be introduced in Finland. The purpose is that it would not be possible to avoid taxes in Finland by apparently working for a foreign employer.
Majanen is also criticized this tax.
The reform has been called the commuting tax. In practice, it would apply to some persons who come to Finland from abroad to work for a temporary financial employer. Even if the formal employer is abroad, Finland’s right to tax would extend to the work done for the Finnish financial employer.
4. Tax planning of real estate funds
In connection with the budget tussle in autumn 2021, the government agreed that special investment funds investing in real estate taxation will be expanded. Finland’s right to tax the income generated by these funds’ real estate investments made in Finland is expanding.
The so-called flow-through model would be applied to the income. It would be considered that the unit owner receives income directly from the investment object, in which case the intermediate special investment fund would not be taken into account in taxation.
5. Tax on indirectly owned properties
The government also agreed in its budget rush in the fall of 2021 that in the future income from the indirect transfer of immovable property will also be considered taxable income in Finland.
In practice, this can mean, for example, capital gain from the transfer of shares in a housing company in a situation where a foreign company owns the shares through another company in Finland.
Euroization of earnings-related means that receiving daily allowance is tied to the earned salary and not to the number of working hours.
6. “Euroization” of earnings-related unemployment insurance
Government agreed last Februarythat in the future receiving earnings-related daily allowance will be tied to the earned salary and not to the number of working hours.
With the change, the number of people entitled to earnings-related benefits may increase, but at the same time, the amount of earnings-related security for some people who work part-time may decrease.
The reform is the last of the government’s employment measures. It is estimated to strengthen the public finances by 54 million euros, and it is also calculated to have a small employment effect.
Even though the action was presented as agreed back in February, the bill for it has not yet been issued. According to HS’s information, the Left Alliance has announced that it will oppose euroization if, for example, the center starts to overturn previously agreed upon but unpleasant legal projects.
Read more: The earnings security of many part-time workers will be cut, those studying on unemployment benefit will be forced to look for a job – This is what the government’s new employment measures mean
The Congestion Charges Act would not mean the introduction of congestion charges, but only its enabling.
7. Congestion charges
Finland’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2035. Among the related, agreed measures, two more are missing, the laws concerning congestion charges and the obligation to distribute bio-fuel oil.
According to the government program, the government will enact a law that enables the introduction of congestion charges aimed at managing traffic in urban areas.
The implementation itself would be regulated separately later. The Framework Act does not necessarily have an impact on Finland’s carbon neutrality goal.
Read more: The Ministry of Finance is planning congestion charges as a tax to be levied by the state – consideration of the implementation will be left to the next governments
8. Promoting the use of biofuel oil
The government agreed in its budget rush in the fall of 2021 that the obligation to distribute biofuel oil will be increased to 30 percent in 2030.
Light fuel oil is used for heating houses, work machines and permanently installed engines. The distribution obligation means that distributors of light fuel oil must ensure that a certain proportion of the fuel oil distributed to the market is biofuel oil.
By increasing the obligation, emission reductions of 0.5 million carbon dioxide equivalent tons are aimed for.
9. Regional student loan credit
In its budget meeting this fall, the government agreed that a trial of a regional student loan credit will be organized in Finland. The project is especially important for the city center.
In the experiment, a recent graduate moving to Eastern or Northern Finland could get a refund of his student loan. According to the draft presentation, it could be up to 8,800 euros.
Read more: A person moving to Eastern or Northern Finland may be forgiven up to 8,800 euros from a student loan: the experimental legal project is moving forward
10. Alien passport
Obtaining a residence permit requires that the applicant has a valid travel document, i.e. a passport. In some cases, the only obstacle to a residence permit may be that the applicant does not have a valid national passport and it is difficult to obtain one.
Read more: A Somali man accused Finland of discrimination because his passport was not accepted as an ID – Human Rights Court: No discrimination
Ministry of the Interior according to the draft law in the future, this condition could be waived. A residence permit and a foreigner’s passport could be granted to an applicant who lacks only a travel document from the requirements for a residence permit.
11. Increasing salary transparency
It was originally written into the government program that salary transparency would be increased with the help of legislation. The goal was to eliminate unjustified wage differences and wage discrimination.
A reform was on the table, with which an employee who suspects discrimination would have been able to get their colleague’s salary information directly from the employer.
However, the preparation of the reform was suspended in the summer, as the governing parties could not reach an agreement on its content. However, the left-wing parties have still kept it up.
Read more: The preparation of the law amendment aimed at increasing salary transparency has been stopped – the governing parties could not agree on the content
12. Research and development tax incentive
In connection with the framework dispute last spring, the government outlined that the tax incentive for research intended for companies will be implemented from next year. It is an incentive worth 100 million euros in financial terms.
Read more: The government cancels planned spending cuts for research funding – a 350 million euro increase compared to the previous framework
13. Facilitating cross-study of vocational and high school studies
The government has planned to increase the possibility of studying in vocational schools and upper secondary schools at the same time, as well as the completion of a double degree as part of a broader reform of secondary education.
So-called cross-studying across school forms is to be facilitated so that a student of a basic vocational qualification could also study more than the maximum score of the current qualification, which is 180 competence points. The degree could also include more high school or university studies.
Read more: The government intends to legislate a double degree for vocational school and upper secondary school – “The choice reduces stress”, says Minister of Education Li Andersson
14. and 15. Sote funding: Additional funding for university hospital areas and the supplementary part of the permanent transition equalization
Helsinki’s position in the reform of social and health services will be improved. A new law on university hospitals and an addendum on transition equalization to be attached to it are being prepared.
The university hospital areas are getting about 300 million euros more money.
The latest twist is the political agreement from early autumn, which was reached on the amendment to the University Hospitals Funding Act. The supplemental part of the permanent transitional equalization of social welfare funding is supposed to improve Helsinki’s position permanently, but the fate of this is now open.
Read more: The government is changing the basis of war funding: among other things, Helsinki is getting more money
+ Money disputes over additional millions
In addition to the legal projects listed above, the government is currently arguing about spending increases in the billions. New hopes have emerged when the governing parties have negotiated the supplementary part of next year’s budget.
Read more: Kiuru: 700 million euros are needed to pay off the healthcare debt already next year
Among other things, there is a dispute about the nearly 200 million euro agricultural subsidy demanded by the central government. The prime minister’s party Sdp, on the other hand, proposes 700 million euros to pay off the care debt.
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