Posted November. 14, 2014 02:39,
Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, on Thursday dismissed calls for discussions on tax increases, saying that he was opposed to the idea and had "no intention of playing into the hands of the opposition party."
He told a news conference at the National Assembly that tax increases are the last option after reducing unnecessary budget spending and reviewing infrastructure building projects.
"As tax hikes are a highly explosive and sensitive issue, it is necessary to reach a social consensus on the need to increase taxes," he stressed.
Apparently conscious of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy`s (NPAD) call for tax hikes targeting corporate taxes, Kim noted, "Corporate taxes are related with international competitiveness (of businesses). At a time when the economy is not in a good condition, corporate tax increases would make the situation harder for businesses."
Noting that the top priority should be on free childcare, rather than on free school lunch, he said that when the opposition party raised the free lunch issue in the past, the ruling party failed to make it clear that childcare came before school lunch.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary taxation subcommittee meeting scheduled for Thursday has been postponed at the NPAD`s request. Yoon Ho-jung, an NPAD lawmaker, said that there was not enough time to review a report on bills to be discussed at the meeting because it became available on the same day. The subcommittee meeting will take place on Friday.