Former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar Wins Friedman Prize for Liberty
I wish we had guys like Laar running Finland…
The Cato Institute today announced that the recipient of the 2006 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty is Mart Laar, the former prime minister of Estonia and main architect of his country’s remarkable economic transformation into one of the world’s freest and most dynamic economies.
[...]When Laar took the reins of power of the newly independent country in 1992, he was only 32 years old, and Estonia was struggling to heal from the wounds of Soviet occupation. Laar believed that the way to ensure success for Estonia was to cultivate freedom and self-determination. In only two years in office, he negotiated the withdrawal of Russian troops from Estonian soil and introduced the kroon, one of Eastern Europe’s most stable currencies. He also instituted a flat tax rate, a move which has been widely copiedâ€â€even in Russia. Under Laar, Estonia removed price controls, discounted useless regulations, and saw the largest real per capita income of any of the former Communist states.
The average wage in Estonia was max. 50 US Dollar at the time they started reforms in 1992
Comment by Jens-Olaf — Tue, Apr 25th, 2006 @ 1:51 pm
“In only two years in office, he negotiated the withdrawal of Russian troops from Estonian soil and introduced the kroon, one of Eastern Europe’s most stable currencies. He also instituted a flat tax rate, a move which has been widely copiedâ€â€even in Russia.”
Perhaps the best thing with Laar is that he has some credibility of being a dissident in the Soviet times, for example writing about the so-called forest brothers.
However, I strongly dislike this kind of cult of personality and personification of politics as shown above. It really sounds like one thirty-something had alone negotiated something with the mighty Russia, introduced a stable currency (of course it’s stable because it’s tied to a strong currency) and a flat tax rate. No single man can do all this, it’s all the workings of a certain part of a very enthusiastic Estonian generation.
Listing heroic deeds as above would better suit North Korea.
MM
Comment by Moral minority? — Tue, Apr 25th, 2006 @ 6:46 pm
I think we should trade governments with Estonia
Comment by Anton — Tue, Apr 25th, 2006 @ 8:34 pm
I think we should trade governments with Estonia
Let’s do it when Estonia has become a bit richer and implemented the welfare-state structures. And that time is not far, in order to survive - when the salaries in Tallinn are reaching the Finnish level - they have to start investing in education and other ways to make the national econmy work on something else than cheap labor. If it’s not too late already …
Comment by Anonymous — Wed, Apr 26th, 2006 @ 10:42 am
It is fallacy to claim that the welfare state is responsible for Finland’s high standards of education. Those standards were there way before the welfare state started its course towards bloat, 30-40 years ago.
Comment by Finnpundit — Thu, Apr 27th, 2006 @ 2:37 am