Latvia in the spotlight

Educating the next generation of taxpayers is one of the goals of Latvia’s state revenue service.

Doors of the Latvian state revenue service are always open to the young and curious. However, recently in addition to the regular school children excursions and special events, the revenue service has been exploring new ways to reach its audience online.

One such way was through the short film competition “Me - a tax vlogger” (latvian – “Es – nodOKļu vlogeris”), one of the very first digital activities.  Those aged between 16 to 19 were invited to create short educational videos on taxes, thus encouraging them to explore, learn and understand taxes and the underlying purpose of the tax administration. Creators of the best videos received digital prizes – laptops, tables or smartwatches. The state revenue service, on the other hand, received confidence that young people have enough creativity, motivation and wisdom to talk about taxes in a fun and engaging way. The playlist of the winning videos is still available on YouTube. These videos have been used in various educational events and lectures given by the tax administration. 

Encouraged by the results of the first contest, the tax administration intends to organise such competitions in the future. 

First steps to introduce tax education in schools

As part of the “Ready for life” (Dzīvei gatavs) programme, school children in Latvia from grades eight and nine are learning more about taxes. Guest lecturers, which include representatives from government organisations, NGOs and private enterprises are taking part in the programme by giving lectures to explain the link between what students learn in school to what they do in their line of work. This programme was created by an education NGO. In its first year of operation, the tax administration gave 50 lectures. This programme helps to integrate tax education into regular school programmes.

The state administration continues to organise special events at its own premises as well. Each year, the administration organises open door days. During these days, school groups are invited to interactive lectures highlighting the work of the tax administration. This includes a demonstration of the equipment used by a customs officer, meeting working dogs and participating in a game to recognise counterfeit and restricted goods smuggled over borders.