On Thursday, 24 September, Eesti Pank will organise a seminar, where doctoral candidate at the University of Tartu HELEN POLTIMÄE introduces her research on the impact of environmental taxes on households of different income in Estonia. The seminar will be held from 13.00-14.30 in the conference centre of Reval Hotel Central in Tallinn.

At the start of the seminar, Deputy Governor of Eesti Pank Märten Ross will present Helen Poltimäe with Eesti Pank's research award dedicated to the memory of Urmas Sepp. The award is 35,000 kroons. Thereafter the author will introduce her research "The impact of environmental taxes on the income distribution of households", which is the first thorough study in this field in Estonia.

"Environmental taxes have been a popular instrument for managing environmental problems in recent years. At the same time, usage of the taxes has been limited, since it is feared they will have a negative effect on competitiveness and an unproportionally large impact on households with lower income. The main environmental tax in Estonia is the fuel excise tax, which accounted for 98% of environmental taxes in 2006. The calculations made show that the general tax burden arising from environmental taxes has not changed much over the period 2000-2007," said Poltimäe.

The seminar will take place in the conference centre room Studio 3 of Reval Hotel Central (Narva mnt 7c Tallinn). It is possible to register for the seminar until 22 September. To register, please contact Ms Eve Mägin, Assistant to the Department of Economic Research, by telephone 668 0758 or e-mail [email protected]. For further information on the seminar and the research paper see the home page of Eesti Pank.

The aim of the research award dedicated to the memory of Urmas Sepp is to value the acquisition of a scientific degree by young people, to stimulate scientific research in the field of economics, and to show recognition for outstanding research. Urmas Sepp (1956-2002) was Head of the Economic Research Department of Eesti Pank. The research award has been issued since 2003. The terms and conditions of the research competition are available on the web site of Eesti Pank.