Statistics Estonia acquired a two-year transition period for collection of the data included in annual reports

“The need for transition period arises from the necessity to develop the information systems and it requires time and money,” stated Ms Tuulikki Sillajõe, the Deputy Director General of Statistics Estonia.

Starting from 1st January 2010 the Business Register launched an electronic data transmission system for submitting annual reports. According to the Accounting Act, the state or local government institution is not entitled starting from 1st January 2010 to require such data of accounting entities which have already been submitted to the Business Register by them in their annual reports. The Government of the Republic is entitled to appoint the state or local government institutions for which the prohibition shall not apply for a period of up to two years.

In order to avoid the duplicate data collection, Statistics Estonia intends to improve its data collection channel eSTAT so, that the data submitted electronically to the register according to the taxonomy of annual report will be pre-filled for the economic units in eSTAT.  The respondent needs to fulfil only the rows not included in the annual report. In order to import the data from the Business Register to Statistics Estonia, to store them and display in eSTAT the development of information systems is necessary. Therefore Statistics Estonia is able to quit the duplicate collection of the data included in annual reports not before the year 2012 when the data for 2011 will be collected.

According to Ms Tuulikki Sillajõe it is important to draw the attention of the economic units to the fact that only small extent of data necessary for business and economic statistics are included in annual report. “Therefore the expectation that economic units would not need to submit any data to Statistics Estonia is not relevant,” stated Ms Sillajõe. “The statistical questionnaires remain after 2012 as well as the economic units’ obligation to submit the data,” she added.

The Regulation of the Government of the Republic “Asutused, kelle suhtes ei kohaldata „Raamatupidamise seaduse” § 14¹ lõikes 4 nimetatud keeldu” (Institutions for which the prohibition mentioned in subsection 141 (4) of the Accounting Act shall not apply (only in Estonian)).