Third Child's Upbringing Should be Financed by State, Says Aasmäe
Economic geographer and former mayor of Tallinn, Hardo Aasmäe, said the state should pay for the upbringing of a family's third child to tackle a projected drop in population.
Aasmäe, who ran for local office in Tallinn in October, told Postimees on Wednesday that children are no longer a private interest of parents, and the state should pay food, accommodation, clothing and education bills of a third child and each child after that.
He said that a tax should be considered on the childless, who are enjoying the fruits of society, but contributing far less than parents.
Statistics Estonia released a study Wednesday which predicts a drop in the Estonian population by 125,000 in the next 30 years, which is nearly a 10 percent decline.