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The Estonian Taxpayers Association on Thursday named Jaan Männik, chairman of the supervisory board of the central bank, taxpayer's friend 2012, while the title of taxpayer's enemy was awarded to Minister of Economy and Communications Juhan Parts.
Bank of Estonia supervisor awarded taxpayer's friend title
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The Taxpayers Association said that Männik got the title as an acknowledgement of his actions in making the central bank more transparent. It was expressed above all in swapping out the management, while the public disclosure of the VEB Fund transactions can also be identified as a positive change, it said.
The association said it agreed with Männik that the Bank of Estonia and the Financial Supervision Authority were too expensive for the state to maintain and their operation needed restructuring.
The title of taxpayer's enemy went to Parts because, as the association said, it is the minister representing taxpayers at the shareholders meeting who bears ultimate responsibility for the poor financial state of the national airline Estonian Air. "The general meeting of shareholders must be able to appoint a competent supervisory board and provide necessary guidelines so that the company could operate in a stable manner and be well managed," it said.
The association added that developments regarding Estonian Air point to the need to establish specific principles for governance of state companies, including the appointment of supervisory boards.
A nonprofit established in 1995, the Estonian Taxpayers Association has more than 2,000 members.