Education and Science, Estonia, Legislation, Taxation, Technology

"A few years ago, the Tax Board changed its way of selecting charities for the tax exemption list. The text [of the law] remains the same, but the interpretation of it changed," said Raul Veede, a board member of Wikimedia Eesti, a Wikipedia-related NGO.

According to Veede, the new interpretation of a charity eligible for tax-exemption status is classified in two ways: firstly, the charity must distribute material goods; and, secondly, it must serve people who are disadvantaged as compared to the rest of society. However, the Estonian-language website of Wikipedia, doe not qualify for the criteria.

Raul Veede hastens to add that this nascent legal case is not just a matter of Wikipedia, but also how Estonia defines the concept of non-profit civil society.