The citizens' initiative to reduce VAT on food has gathered many signatures. The initiative's leader, Jana Guzanova, came up with this idea on her birthday. She has also received invitations from political parties to enter politics.
Guzanova said that at her birthday party, guests discussed food prices. She said she does not want to live in a country where food prices are discussed at birthday parties. Guzanova works as a fraud prevention specialist. She believes that the tax system should be simpler.
Guzanova noted that Estonia has a small national debt. She said that raising taxes could make Estonia less attractive to investors. She recommends looking at the example of Spain, where lowering VAT on food led to cheaper prices.
Guzanova believes that reducing taxes will help both consumers and food producers. She also talked about the difficulties faced by restaurants with high prices. She runs a food blog and is the winner of Masterchef Estonia.
Political parties have approached Guzanova to enter politics. She wants the citizens' initiative to remain a citizens' initiative. Guzanova thinks that Estonia should have a lower VAT on food, like in neighboring countries.
The citizens' initiative has already gathered over 50,000 signatures. The initiative is also supported by the leader of the Social Democrats, Lauri Läänemets. Previously, EKRE and the Centre Party have also demanded a reduction in VAT on food. This is one of the most signed citizens' initiatives.