Tax Administration Tightens Lunch Benefit, Hurting Shift Workers

The Tax Administration's new guidelines limit lunch vouchers to store-made meals or assembled salads, excluding ready-made salads and fruits, creating hardship for shift workers, Tamperelainen reports. Pia Viitanen, a Tampere-based Social Democratic MP and member of the Finance Committee's Tax Subcommittee, says the tightened guidelines place many workers with irregular schedules in a difficult position as lunch counters close or food runs out. Tamperelainen notes that the reform does little to promote healthy eating since ready-made salads and fruits no longer qualify for the lunch benefit. Viitanen adds that she will submit a written question to the government to ensure the law is reviewed promptly and accounts for irregular hours while preserving healthier options.