Study: Nearly Half of Estonians Would Support "Snow Tax" Implementation

Study: Nearly half of Estonians would agree to introducing a "snow tax".

Almost three-quarters of Estonians believe it is right that local governments are responsible for snow clearing on sidewalks, and 47% of survey respondents are willing to pay even a separate "snow tax" during winter months if necessary, according to a survey conducted by research firm Norstat in February.

According to the survey results, 73 percent of respondents consider sidewalk cleaning to be the responsibility of local government, and only one-fifth believe that property owners should be responsible for it.

According to Norstat's director Evelin Pae, the survey revealed that 26 percent of people would be willing to reinstate land tax. Meanwhile, more than half, or 56 percent, do not support the reinstatement of land tax with the aim of covering snow clearing-related expenses from it.

"The study shows that in light of February's heavy snow and slippery streets, people clearly expect local government to be responsible for maintaining public spaces. While only one-quarter of respondents support the reinstatement of land tax, nearly half of respondents would be willing to pay a seasonal snow clearing tax," said Evelin Pae.

Norstat conducted the survey this February among 1,000 residents across Estonia.

Norstat is Europe's leading data collection company, conducting data collection across all methods ranging from online surveys to telephone and face-to-face interviews. The data collection method and sample are compiled individually according to the client's field of activity and the formulation of questions. Norstat operates in 12 countries across Europe, having representative and high-quality web panels and telephone survey centers in almost all countries.

Author: Evelin Pae Norstat Estonia director 555 75 664 [email protected]