Monika Haukanõmm, Tallinn City Center elder
There are so many draft laws in the next year’s state budget, the necessity and reasonableness of which cannot and will not be disputed. National defense and a sustainable environment are topics that rightly have their place in the state budget draft, but they cannot be used endlessly as a fig leaf to hide one’s own incompetence..
Before the elections, almost all political parties talked about pension increases, but now these promises have been erased from the minds of those who came to power. Before the elections, there was also talk of plans to promote the situation of people with disabilities and special needs, but when the bill was ready, it was not a happy sight at all.
The situation is actually not funny at all. There will be no extraordinary pension increase, and thus you can wipe your mouth clean of a thousand-euro old-age pension. The standstill leaves the elderly without economic security and increases the number of elderly living in relative poverty, as the purchasing power of money continues to decline. At least the elderly can be happy that they will still have free bus travel on county lines from the new year.
Anxious ignorance
European Union funding for the long-term sheltered work service for people with no work capacity will also end this year. It is a service that gives people with mental disorders and intellectual disabilities, who are unable to work permanently in regular jobs, the opportunity to contribute to society, realize their value and act more confidently and purposefully in life.
Signe Riisalo, the minister responsible for the social sector, has known for a long time that the funding for this service will run out at the end of this year, but it is still unclear what will happen next. The fire is being put out quickly, but more than 400 protected workers, their relatives and the service provider are still in the dark whether they will be able to continue with the new work support service from the beginning of next year.
These are people with special mental needs, who find it much more difficult to cope with this ignorance than those whose minds are healthy. Is this a game with lives? There are various estimates that maybe only half will be able to continue. What about the rest? What will become of them?
I worked in social care for many years, and even though it’s no longer my main job, that doesn’t mean I don’t care about the lives of people who need the support of that system. The government has simply forgotten these people.
It would be a matter of money. The employment service does not require a significant contribution from the state, as the amount of support is only between 100 and 300 euros per month. In the state budget, it is like a drop in the ocean, but for a person dependent on support, it is the key to independence and a healthier and more successful life. Not to mention that without concrete support, that person will likely seek help elsewhere, such as the already overburdened and underfunded medical system. I don’t see any financial savings.
Of course, we also have functioning private healthcare. Who has pain, it pays. This seems to be the position of the government in office, to support a solidary healthcare system, better access to medical services and the next generation of doctors, nurses and other specialists in a meaningful way and by taking concrete steps.
Sloppy work
The continuation of the employment service for people with special needs is only one of the points that have not been considered in the 2024 state budget. The budget has been prepared in a hurry, and unfortunately, the weakest of society remain between the cogs of this sloppily done work, as usual.
Isn’t it difficult to put together the state budget and the subsequent discussion, and it is clear that the budget intended for the promotion of the social sector can never be too large. When it comes to the everyday well-being of the common man, there is always the feeling that much more is needed.
There have also been difficult times in Estonia before, when temporary savings were made for big goals. However, these big goals are nowhere to be seen in the current budget, because the same ignorance and hardship have been brought to almost all areas through the reduction of subsidies and unexpected tax increases.
Although the government has justified this predicament with the need to “fix” the state’s finances, the currently chosen directions cannot definitely be called an improvement, rather the problems tend to get worse. In addition to the weakest, the Estonian economy has also been thrown into anxiety and uncertainty, which has been in decline for some time and has led to growing unemployment.
I never get tired of repeating the rhetorical question: is it really worth peeling off all these people so that the party in power can fulfill its election promise of a 500 million euro income tax reform?
