Free Market
Free Market
Free Market
Free Market
NEWSLETTER OF THE LITHUANIAN FREE MARKET INSTITUTE

Banking
Corruption
Employment Policy
EU Integration
Financial & Capital Markets
Government
Macroeconomic Survey
Monetary Policy
Pension Reform & Social Security
Philanthropy
Private Enterprise
Privatisation
Regulation
Self-Government
Tax and Budget Policy
Trade Policy
Miscellaneous


News
Activities and Achievements


Newsletter issues (PDF/Word):


Home

© LFMI, 1996 - 2003. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of articles is permitted, provided credit is given and copy of the reprinted material is sent to LFMI. To request permission to reprint THE FREE MARKET articles, please call or email LFMI.
Previous issues of THE FREE MARKET are available at LFMI.


The Liberal Union
By LFMI
"The Free Market", 2000 No. 5

The platform of the Liberal Union, which is based on the ideas of individual freedom and limited government, is fairly comprehensive and consistent. It highlights areas that require immediate policy changes but in some cases does not specify concrete measures to achieve desired goals.

The main objectives of the platform

Privatisation. The Liberal Union advocates privatisation and does not set limits on the sell-off of strategic enterprises. Proposed restructuring of strategic enterprises may represent a drag on privatisation. The Liberal Union favours privatisation of state functions (education in particular) and restriction of state investments, although no explicit criteria or limits are stipulated.

Business conditions. The Liberal Union champions equal business conditions for all market participants, without granting special privileges for foreign investments. This suggests that conditions applied to foreign investments will be the same as those applied to local capital. An active stand of the party's leader on the Mažeikiai oil deal will most likely prevent the party from creating privileged privatisation schemes. Revision of valid exemptions and concluded transactions is unlikely. The Liberal Union proposes removing tax exemptions as well as simplifying the rules for tax computation and payment.

Taxation. The platform stipulates a reduction in the tax burden and indicates policy measures that would allow achieving this objective. These measures are the following:

  • To reduce the personal income tax, to set a ceiling on social security contributions, to exempt minimum wage from the personal income tax, and to apply lump-sum income on businesses activities conducted by individuals.
  • To abolish the corporate income tax, to scrap the road tax charged on companies' turnover and to introduce vehicle registration fees instead, to charge stamp duties and state levies based on the cost of services rendered, to phase out customs duties.

The platform stresses the need to implement "proposals for business deregulation without delay," but these proposals are not specified. Another objective is to define strict limits of state control, supervision, and responsibility.

Agriculture. The aim is to treat agriculture as an ordinary sphere of business activity. Support to the agricultural sector should be treated as social aid. Inconsistencies exist with respect to proposed transition to direct payments and state support of investment programmes. It is proposed to complete land restitution without delay, to ensure conditions for a functioning land market, and to abolish division of land into agricultural and non-agricultural land.

Monetary policy. The Liberals support the currency board regime. The replacement of the anchor currency is not mentioned.

State finances. The platform proposes budget formation based on the expediency and effectiveness of state functions. It is stated that the budget should finance "only those measures that are projected to achieve a certain goal indicated in a concrete law, but not areas that are traditionally supported by the state." The Party intends to consolidate all revenues and expenditures into one budget, to balance the budget, and to reduce it both in absolute and relative terms (presumably, in terms of GDP) by privatising state functions and narrowing goals.