The most surprising proposal is found at the end of the motion, Helsingin Sanomat wrote on Monday. Keskisarja and Rostila suggest that mothers who have given birth to at least three children should be exempt partly or fully from the income tax. According to Statistics Finland, the country is home to 481,943 such mothers, meaning the proposal would amount to relieving over a tenth of taxpayers of the income tax.

The lawmakers argued in the motion that exceptional measures are required to address the slumping birth rate. Statistics Finland in May reported that the rate fell to 1.26 in 2023, its lowest level on records dating back to 1776.

“There has not been a single aberration as fateful as this in the history of our population. Without children, the economy, society and culture will inevitably be ruined,” the initiative reads.

Rostila also commented on the motion on social media, admitting that the price tag for the proposed measures would be measured in the billions.

The duo also justified the proposals by pointing to a recent report by Anna Rotkirch, a research professor at the Family Federation of Finland. Rotkirch floated in her report the idea that some financial incentive could be made conditional on having the first child before the age of 30, pointing to studies suggesting that many start a family at such a late age that they ultimately fall short of their desired family size.

Aleksi Teivainen – HT