The Åland Islands Peace Institute has submitted to the Commission its comments concerning the Green Paper on the Future of VAT. The Director of the Peace Institute urges the Commission to revise its proposals and incorporate adequate exemptions with regard to public interest activities, also for public authorities, and in particular for civil society organizations in order to ensure that its VAT-proposal does not destroy the opportunities for those of its citizens that do not have the strongest of economic power and does not distort the democratic decision-making structures of the societies in its member states and in areas falling within the effect of the principle of subsidiarity.