Sikkut confirmed that there will be no tax on sweetened beverages, but it is probably necessary from the point of view of public health.

"As the broad-based security tax also imposes an additional tax burden on businesses, it was decided not to apply a sector-specific additional tax on beverage producers for the time being. However, this does not mean that public health issues are any less important. Children and adults are increasingly overweight, and sweet drinks, which are bad for your teeth and provide unnecessary energy, are one of the reasons for this," she said.

While the matter is touched upon in schools to raise awareness, more measures are needed, the minister said: "Raising awareness is not enough to improve public health. We need to improve children's sporting opportunities and nutrition. Although sweet drinks only account for 5 percent of energy, they are excessive and do not need to be reduced."

In collaboration with beverage manufacturers and the food industry, recipes will continue to be reviewed and the amount of added sugars reduced.

"There are other alternatives for different target groups, but beverage producers and the food industry have so far worked very hard to reformulate, to add less sugars, less saturated fats and, in fact, less salt, so that people's automatic choices, like yogurt and bread, are healthier," Sikkut said. 

The Minister of Health pointed out that the Estonian healthcare financing model, which was agreed upon in the early 1990s, has worked well so far.

"At the time, we did not foresee an aging population and the rapid development of medicine. People now expect a better quality of life and control of chronic diseases. This has led to longer life expectancy and fewer cardiovascular diseases," she added.

Sikkut said, according to international recommendations, additional funding should come from the general budget revenues.

"For health, it makes no difference whether the money comes from state fees, environmental taxes, VAT or excise duties. We do not plan to raise social security contributions. The additional money will have to be raised more broadly, for example from general budget revenues, which is also suitable for children's health," Sikkut said.

When raising the alcohol excise duty, neighboring countries must be monitored in order to avoid cross-border trade, the minister added.

"An increase of 5 percent in excise duties on alcohol, tobacco and fuel was agreed, on top of the current 5 percent. We will monitor the excise rates in neighboring countries, notably Finland and Latvia. If the gap widens, we may decide not to increase further to avoid border trade," she explained.

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