Preceded by Sinikka Monkare Name Mauri Pekkarinen Prime Minister Esko Aho Role Finnish Politician | Preceded by Jarmo Rantanen Party Centre Party Nationality Finnish Succeeded by Jyri Hakamies | |
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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen
Mari Kiviniemi Prime Minister Anneli Jaatteenmaki
Matti Vanhanen Born 6 October 1947 (age 76)
Kinnula, Finland ( 1947-10-06 ) Spouse Raija Pekkarinen (m. 1972) | ||
Mauri Pekkarinen Kalassa
Reijo Mauri Matias Pekkarinen (born 6 October 1947 in Kinnula, Finland) is a Finnish politician. He is the Centre Party of Finland (Suomen Keskusta) deputy and secretary, and former Minister of Economic Affairs in the Finnish government. He is known by the nickname "The Parliament Terrier".
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Early life
Pekkarinen first became interested in politics as a student at the University of Jyväskylä in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He had long held an interest in economics and society and began to take part in party politics at the age of 24.
Minister of Trade and Industry
As new Minister of Trade and Industry, Pekkarinen stated his goal to "promote entrepreneurship and economic growth and thus contribute to diminishing unemployment, [and] to tackle large issues in the field of energy policy such as the carbon dioxide emissions trade between companies in the EU and the building a new nuclear power reactor in Finland", and has also stated an interest in preserving good relations with France. In 2008 his title was changed to Minister of Economic Affairs.
In addition to politics, Pekkarinen is an avid athlete, and is a noted long distance runner.
Taxes
Mauri Pekkarinen suggested higher food VAT to collect more taxes in January 2014. Decline of the food VAT was an election theme in Finnish parliamentary election, 2007. Half of the promised food VAT decline was after elections given for restaurants as decline of their VAT in 2007. The suggestion of Pekkarinen 2014 does not include suggestion to cancel the decline the restaurant VAT.