Business, Estonia, Financial Services, Markets and Companies

The top position of the top list went to one of the biggest Estonian transport and freight forwarding companies, mainly Russian transit operating Petromaks Spediitori AS's major owner Sergei Petrov, who received 7.3 million euros of dividends. Casino businessman Armin Karu, who was on the top position last year, was on the second place with 4.5 million euros this time.

The top list included on the 3-4th positions Sergei Glinka (transport and warehousing) with 2.8 million euros and Maksim Liksutov (transport and warehousing) also with 2.8 million euros. The top ten included also Vyacheslav Rabochšev (telecommunications) with 2.75 million euros, Alar Tamming (finances) with 2.269 million euros, Raul Kivistik (IT and communications) with 2.133 million euros, Toomas Tool (industry, real estate) with 2.125 million euros, Stephan David Balkin (industry) with 2.010 million and Sonny Aswani & family (industry), Indrek Gusev (consultations), Igor Golenichchev (trade) with 2 million euros.

When putting together the list, Äripäev considered the real dividend payments of companies belonging to local capital.

Viktor Siilats, owner of Info Auto who paid 800,000 euros of dividends from his companies in 2012, said that they paid that many dividends since they considered it necessary to make some investments as private individuals. "Every profit should at one point become dividends if losses don’t eat it up. Either a dividend or sales revenue from selling company shares. Taxes are paid eventually on both," said Siilats.