According to former minister of economic affairs and infrastructure Kristen Michal, the opposition Reform Party expects the chancellor to defend the principle that tax law changes have to be announced six months in advance. The coalition’s changes to the bill had come at very short notice.

The Reform Party’s parliamentary group had drawn attention to the fact on several occasions that just a few days allowed to lawmakers to familiarize with the extensive tax changes had not been sufficient, and that it was even less likely that taxpayers and entrepreneurs had been able acquaint themselves with what was to come during that time, Michal said.

Alongside the opposition parties and business associations, both the president and the chancellor have pointed out the weaknesses of the arguments behind the rush to pass the tax package, and its betrayal of legitimate expectations, Michal added.

The president had said on Friday that she was counting on Madise, who was in a position to question the law’s provisions one by one, he said. The party expected Madise to protect the six-month rule.

The Riigikogu passed the government’s tax package on Dec. 20 after a debate that had been prolonged by the opposition’s introduction of some 150 change proposals to the bill, each one of which needed to be voted on. Reform filibustered the final vote by asking for a ten-minute break before the treatment of each proposal, which led to a marathon session of parliament.