President Alar Karis refused to promulgate the much-debated car tax law, which was passed by the Riigikogu on June 12, saying it was not in line with the Estonian Constitution as it violated the principle of equal treatment for people with disabilities.

Annely Akkermann (Reform), chair of the Riigikogu's Finance Committee, said that at an extraordinary meeting of the finance committee on Monday, the committee discussed the president's reasons for not proclaiming the law. During the debate, representatives of the President's Office, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Finance all presented their views.

"The committee decided to take some time to analyze the positions presented by the president and then make a substantive decision once the date of the extraordinary plenary session is known," said Akkermann.

 "The committee will meet again shortly before the plenary session and formulate its procedural decisions."

"We did not set out to decide anything today. Today, members of the committee were able to ask the president's adviser in particular for clarifications. We will now give the members of the committee time to reflect until the leadership, in all likelihood, calls an extraordinary meeting and wants to put this on the agenda," said Akkermann.

"If it is on the agenda, then in the debate the finance committee will have to decide whether to support the adoption as it stands or to recommend, so to speak, that the red button be pressed, i.e. that the draft be re-amended."

Akkermann added that those members of the Riigikogu she has spoken to are in favor of re-debating the proposed bill. "That means that the bill will come back to the finance committee and these comments by the president, in the light of them, the bill will be amended." Akkermann said. "At the moment, it seems to me that based on the attitudes of my colleagues that's the way it will go."

Akkermann did not comment on when a session might be held to discuss the law.

"There is a possibility that it [the vehicle tax] will come into force from January 1. The tax law says, 'in general' and maybe this is a special case now," Akkermann said.

President Alar Karis refused to promulgate the law because, in his view, the vehicle tax violates the principle of equal treatment by exempting vehicles belonging to private individuals that have been converted or adapted for use by a disabled person, while at the same time, not exempting vehicles belonging to physically disabled people, which do not require adaptation for their use.

The Riigikogu had originally adopted the law introducing the so-called car tax on June 12. The bill was backed by 57 MPs, with 28 voting against it.

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