Friday 10 June 2011

What Makes Estonia Great

Estonia has always been an enchanting country and since it regained its independence in 1991 Estonia has slowly emerged as a leader among the former Soviet countries. Estonia has a technologically savvy society with the majority of young Estonians owning laptop computers and the latest mobile phones to carry out their online banking, voting and business needs. Free wireless Internet connections are available in many public places making communication with the rest of the world ever more possible.

Every day more and more people are discovering the beauty of Estonia, a country that was once hidden away from the rest of the world but is now definitely on the map.

Here are five things which I believe make Estonia great.

1. Its countryside  Estonia's countryside with its neat farms and immaculately kept houses has a wonderful gentleness which grows on you.

2. Freedom.  Estonians love their freedom and are the freest people on Earth, i.e. their lives have the least amount of government interference in all of the Western world.

3. Economic policy. Estonia has an extremely friendly economic policy. This has made Estonia the most prosperous of all the countries which were once part of the Soviet Union.

4. Estonia is a great place to own a business. It was the first country in the world to introduce a flat tax system with the current rate being 21%. If you own a business in Estonia and chose to reinvest the profits back into the business then you pay no tax at all.

5. Estonia's proximity to the sea and extensive coastline. Tallinn's port does not freeze over in the winter and there are over 1500 islands to explore.