Farmers' representative on the Seimas decision: 'This is the most logical decision'

Audrius Vanagas, chairman of the Lithuanian Cereal Growers' Association Audrius Vanagas, says the decision is a compromise, but at the same time the most logical one, after the Lithuanian Parliament finally decided on Thursday to apply lower personal income tax rates to farmers, in the second protest held in Vilnius this month.

„The decision has been made, (...) both sides are probably a bit unhappy. (...) But there is still work to be done on the law on state social insurance, for which our demand has not yet been raised in principle," Vanag told BNS on Thursday.

He hopes that the issue of farmers' „Sodros“ contributions will be revisited. 

„We will come back, we will consult the community, it all depends on the decisions of the politicians, precisely on the second issue of our demand. As I said, it has not been fulfilled, it is only part of the work.

Afterwards, one of the organisers of the protest told the crowd that he was inviting them to a new protest in the autumn.

On Thursday, the parliament finally voted that farmers will be subjected to two – 15 percent and 20 percent tax rates. The government is now demanding two and two rates of GPT, as they had demanded: 15 per cent on incomes up to 60 average wages (about €140,000) and 20 per cent above that.