2023-04-16 14:40:00
“If you have 54% public spending (in your budget), then you definitely need to cut spending,” she said on VRT-TV’s De Zevende Dag program. Ms. Bertrand, in this context, was opposed to a proposal reiterated by the Vooruit group leader, in the House, Melissa Depraetere.
In an interview published by the Sunday newspaper ‘De Zondag’, she described as an absolute priority the need to carry out the tax reform agreed in the program of the Vivaldi coalition. The Flemish socialist deputy recommends, in order to reduce the charges on work, a higher taxation of large fortunes. “It might be rental income, income from stocks, etc. Do a register of the assets and make sure you have a good overview of them,” she said, while saying by taking strongly to the president of the MR, Georges-Louis Bouchez, that she accuses him of “blocking many reforms”.
“Our problem does not come from income, but from expenditure,” replied Ms. Bertrand. The Secretary of State also pointed out that it is not easy to target a specific group. “Then you often end up with the middle class,” explains Alexia Bertrand. “Nothing is non-negotiable, but it has to be effective. And if it leads to capital flight, then you have gained nothing,” she argued.
Ms. Bertrand also assured that Mr. Bouchez – her former party president, before she joined the ranks of the Flemish liberals in favor of her entry into the federal government last November – had been “an ally” during budgetary control. “I would prefer to see Conner Rousseau and Paul Magnette (the presidents of Vooruit and the PS, editor’s note) agree on the reforms” to be carried out. The liberal family sometimes agrees on these reforms. I would like to see the same from the socialists,” she said.
She thus responded to the head of the Vooruit group who criticized the attitude of Mr. Bouchez, accusing him of “blocking many reforms”. “He creates amateurism in the (federal) team. It’s Bouchez who prevents a lot of reforms, to the point of debility,” said the Socialist MP, citing in particular the tax reform. According to Ms. Depraetere, “we might do more with Bart De Wever’s N-VA than with Georges-Louis Bouchez’s MR”.
The federal government undertook, during the budgetary control which ended on March 30, to make an additional effort of 1.8 billion euros over two years.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and if necessary, we will take further action,” the secretary of state said on Sunday. In the coming weeks, the focus should be on reforms, as they truly have a medium-term fiscal impact, she noted.
Next week, the restricted ministerial council (“kern”) will once once more look at pension reform.
1681663785
#Alexia #Bertrand #defends #Bouchez #federal #budget #problem #spending
