Lithuania

Under EU legislation, Member States are required to abolish any legal provisions contrary to the principle of equal treatment and have to introduce measures that would facilitate getting legal remedies in cases of alleged violations of equal treatment.

On March 27, 2019, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) ran the second edition of the National Economics Exam. Aimed at promoting economic literacy and the relevance of economics education, the exam is intended for all citizens interested in measuring their knowledge of economics.

After seven years in his role as President of LFMI, Žilvinas Šilėnas will lead the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in the United States. LFMI’s long-serving Vice President Edita Maslauskaitė will succeed Šilėnas as LFMI’s Interim President from mid-April.

Progressive taxation is considered to be the most popular measure to reduce income inequality. The aim of the conducted research was to enlighten this discussion by exploring to what extent the progressiveness of PIT is a decisive factor in reducing income inequality.

The 2017 labor law reform significantly improved Lithuania\'s position in the Employment Flexibility Index, moving the country from the 27th to 15th position among the EU and OECD countries, according to Employment Flexibility Index 2019 compiled by LFMI based on the World Bank\'s Doing Business data.

On November 15, 2018, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) held a conference on the shadow economy in Vilnius to address the scope and drivers of the shadow economy in Lithuania and across Europe and to discuss the most effective policies in tackling the issue.

The shadow economy in Lithuania remains pervasive despite economic growth, and as many as one in two people would consider informal consumption and undeclared work if their financial circumstances worsened, shows a LFMI research report.

The aim of the publication Shadow Economy: Understanding Drivers, Reducing Incentives is to present and analyse the results of representative population surveys into public perceptions of the shadow economy and engagement in illicit activities that were conducted in six countries.

Taxation of tobacco products raises severe economic and social concerns which should be taken into account when formulating further tobacco taxation policies, including on novel tobacco products. Increased education rather than higher excise duties should be the main policy.

In late June the Lithuanian Parliament adopted a law that consolidated the employer and employee base for social security contributions and significantly cut the rate of contributions.