On Wednesday at 4:49 p.m., the Riigikogu The unicameral parliament of Estonia. passed the bill to raise family and child allowances almost unanimously. The right-wing Siim Kiisler was the only one who voted against. Some social democrats and reformists abstained. 61 MPs voted in favor of the bill.
The allowance for the first and second child will increase from the current 60 to 80 euros from the new year. The allowance for a large family will increase from 300 to 650 euros for a family with 3-6 children, and from 400 to 850 euros for a family with at least 7 children.
Additional money will be received from February, and the subsidy missed in January will be paid retrospectively in May.
Siim Kiisler, who was the only one who voted against the bill, is simply sad that the state "gives people gifts" with their own money: "People talk about other things among themselves. They understand that this is irresponsible behavior. New responsibilities are taken on, which begin to grow over time. No one cares where the cover comes from. One year you take a loan, the next year you take a loan. Next, we have to start cutting or raising taxes."
"With this law, absurd situations are possible where there is an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old child in the family and a third child is born. In this case, the first two become adults immediately, but the third only after 19 years. And then, after 18 years, the parents receive a third of the support from this 37-year-old "child"! These amounts are not small," said Siim Kiisler.