The Finnish Tax Administration said on Friday that the value of meals purchased for Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) while staying at her official residence constitute taxable income.
The Prime Minister's Office now intends to draw up new guidelines on catering services at the official residence and changes to the previous practice.
The official residence, Kesäranta, is in Helsinki's seaside Meilahti district, not far from the president's official residence.
The last time the Prime Minister's Office specified which services were included for those living at Kesäranta was in mid-2019. They were issued by the Permanent State Under-Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, Timo Lankinen.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Marin will correct her tax return for 2020 in line with Tax Administration's ruling.
Tax officials examined the issue of Marin's family's breakfasts and cold lunches after the Council of State asked for an interpretation whether the benefit was taxable.
Lankinen told Yle that services of the official residence would change as a result of the ruling, which he said clarifies the situation regarding the premier's meal benefits.
"We are changing the instructions [to clarify] that the prime minister is not eligible for these services as part of the use of Kesäranta," he said.
According to Lankinen, the prime minister will probably have to recompense taxpayers for the catering benefits she has received while living at Kesäranta.
The debate over the prime minister's food expenditures began on May 25 when the tabloid Iltalehti reported on her family's state-funded breakfasts at Kesäranta.
According to the government, a total of 14,363 euros was spent on her family's meals from January 2020 to May 2021. That averages 845 euros per month, or about nine euros daily for each member of her family.
Marin has said she would pay back the total expenditure and not use the catering service in the future.
