Tallinn's Registration Campaign Draws 146 People
Tallinn City Government spent 110,000 euros before the elections calling people to register as Tallinn citizens, netting a total of 146 people.
The campaign, which angered opposition politicians, cost 750 euros per new resident. Rus.err.ee crunched the numbers and found that 465 people had registered to become Tallinn citizens during the drive, but 319 people left the city's residents list.
But the city could still earn money from the 146 people. The average salary is around 1,000 euros per month, with residents paying 11.4 percent of their income to local governments, meaning Tallinn will earn close to 200,000 euros in the first year alone. The campaign can still be considered lucrative if half of the people are of working age or out of work.
Opposition politicians called the campaign a political ad of Mayor Edgar Savisaar, with the ruling Center Party saying the city did nothing illegal.
The drive took place between May 5 and 15, ending 10 days before the European Parliament elections.
In a separate case, opposition members are planning a no-confidence vote against Savisaar, in connection to more taxpayer funded city announcements which appeared shortly before last year's local elections.