Accountants go on strike over new labor taxes declaration system
A warning strike by Estonian accountants on November 10–11 aims to draw public attention to the failure of the new system for submitting employment tax declarations.
Estonian accountants are protesting changes to the country's tax reporting system, arguing that the new procedures are unnecessarily complicated, technically unreliable and increase their workload, Delfi reports.
The changes affect the monthly tax declaration form (TSD), used by employers and other taxpayers to report income and social taxes, mandatory funded pension contributions and unemployment insurance premiums, which must be submitted by the 10th of each month.
Under the new data-based reporting system, businesses can transmit payroll information directly from their accounting software to the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA), receive feedback, correct errors and confirm their declarations, although manual submission and file uploads remain available.
Riin Pajula, CEO of Arvestusabi OÜ, said most accountants have struggled to complete their duties within a reasonable time since the system became available in early October, criticizing the lack of consultation with accounting professionals and what she described as misleading claims about simplification and automation.
Estonian Accountants' Association Chairman Margus Tammeraja said accountants support digitalization but that reforms should reduce workloads and improve reporting accuracy rather than create additional manual work and uncertainty.
Accountants participating in the strike will remain at work but refuse to submit TSD declarations, while informing businesses of their tax liabilities to help them avoid late-payment penalties and other risks.
According to the MTA, nearly 41,000 declarations had already been submitted ahead of the November 10 deadline, with 20 percent filed through accounting software, nearly three times the number of businesses using previous automated solutions.
MTA Income Tax Department Head Madis Laas said accountants, businesses and software developers had been involved in developing the system for more than two years, adding that the agency was working to resolve the remaining technical issues.
Estonia has more than 89,000 employers declaring and paying employment taxes for 674,000 employees, with quarterly payments totaling €2.2 billion.
The MTA plans to expand data-based reporting to the employment register and value-added tax declarations in the first half of 2027.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
Source: Delfi
