In an interview on LTV’s “Morning Panorama”, Mieriņa reminded that the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), which she represents, stands for a new “bank tax”, because there she sees opportunities to find funds to finance budget needs.
Discussions continue between the coalition parties on how to apply the proposed tax, and Mieriņa thinks that an agreement between the parties will be reached.
The politician admitted that the next year’s budget situation is quite tense, and additional revenues and tax changes are needed to be able to implement all the most important plans. The working group formed by politicians has already had heated discussions about potential changes in taxes, but they will have to be continued.
According to Mieriņa, not voting for a priority declared by a ministry does not mean that the government does not support it. The politician urged a number of ministries to look for budget funds within the ministries for their priorities, including evaluating the possibilities of austerity measures. For example, four staff positions have been consolidated in the office of the Speaker of the Saeima, including the post of night secretary.
Asked to assess the stability of the coalition in the context of the budget adoption negotiations, Mieriņa refused that it basically depends on the partners’ mutual listening, and so far the partners have demonstrated such willingness to listen.
The “big priority” of ZZS in the next year’s budget will be local governments, where it is evident that there are difficulties in “tightening finances”, which, moreover, in conditions where significant austerity measures are being implemented in many of them.
2024-08-20 15:03:31