PM urges ministers not to answer questions of minor tax evasion and TV licence fee dodging
Opposition leader expresses surprise
Matti Vanhanen
|
Jyrki Katainen
|
|
|
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) sees no need for ministers to make statements on if they have paid for domestic help without paying proper taxes, or whether or not they have paid their television licence fees.
"I think that it is enough for a minister to know how to do his or her job, that he or she has a good reputation, and most important of all, that he or she should enjoy the confidence of Parliament.", Vanhanen writes in his blog.
Vanhanen’s comments were sparked by a questionnaire sent to government ministers by the Finnish News Agency STT, in which the ministers were asked if they had ever had domestic work done without paying tax, or if they have paid their TV licence fees.
Opposition National Coalition Party chairman Jyrki Katainen said on Saturday that he does not understand Vanhanen’s attitude. He told STT that it is all right to ask ministers questions, and that it is up to the minister whether or not to give an answer.
The STT move came after three ministers of Sweden’s new government got into trouble over allegations of improprieties. After only eight days in office, Maria Borelius, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Trade, resigned on Saturday following revelations that she had paid for nanny services in cash without paying tax. She said that as a mother of four, it was the only thing that she could afford. When it was revealed that her husband earns a very high income, Borelius said that the two keep their accounts separate, and that she pays for child care. In an interview with the Swedish late-edition tabloid Expressen, a former nanny working for Borelius spoke about the family’s opulent lifestyle.
Another minister in Sweden’s new government, Minister of Culture Cecilia Stegö Chilò, stepped down on Monday after revelations that she had also paid under the table for nanny services, and that she had never paid her television licence. The Minister of Culture is the member of the Swedish government responsible for public service broadcasting.
Also exposed as licence fee dodgers were Borelius and Minister of Immigration Tobias Billström.
In a radio interview programme on Sunday, Prime Minister Vanhanen explained his views, saying that it is insulting to ask ministers whether or not they have broken the law. He called on other ministers not to answer STT’s questions. Minister of Finance Eero Heinäluoma (SDP) agrees with Vanhanen on the matter.
Eight ministers had already responded to the inquiry before Vanhanen took his stand. They all said that TV licences were paid, and that they had never employed domestic help without paying tax.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 16.10.2006 - TODAY |
 PM urges ministers not to answer questions of minor tax evasion and TV licence fee dodging
|
|
