Coalition|Matias Marttinen, the chairman of the coalition’s parliamentary group, criticizes the Sdp’s economic policy and the provincial tax proposed by the Sdp.
The coalition chairman of the parliamentary group Matias Marttinen (kok) says that the coalition is ready for further cuts in the public sector.
The government has already made various tax increases, cuts and other measures to adjust the public finances with nine billion euros.
“We in the coalition are committed to work to fix the economy. If debt reduction requires it, the assembly is ready to decide on new additional adjustment measures. The work to save Finland’s economy cannot be left unfinished,” says Marttinen.
Marttinen spoke at the summer meeting of the coalition’s parliamentary group in Kuopio on Thursday.
Marttinen said after his speech that he does not want to go into public speculation about which possible surgical sites could be. He admitted that the degree of difficulty has increased with the new austerity decisions.
According to Marttinen, there are no different views on the state of public finances within the government.
“I believe and trust that we will all strive for what has been agreed in the government program,” said Marttinen.
According to Marttinen, an assessment of further adjustments may be forthcoming in the mid-season rush of next spring. A special pressure on the government comes from the deficit in welfare areas.
“If the economic framework comes along, then you have to make savings elsewhere,” says Marttinen. According to him, the situation now is different from when the municipalities were responsible for social and health care:
“At that time, the invoices of the hospital districts were sent to the municipalities, and it resulted in municipal deficits. Now that the funding comes entirely from the state, the situation is different.”
Marttinen is the prime minister Petteri Orpon (kok) trusted. Among other things, he led the economic group of the government negotiations, the group cutting Yle’s funding and last spring’s negotiations on additional cuts and tax increases of around three billion euros.
The government will decide on the 2025 budget at the beginning of next week. Most of the decisions were already made in the spring. The new decisions mainly concern savings, which replace decisions made in the spring but canceled or changed.
“In next week’s budget rush, the most important thing is to bring every saving decision already agreed by the government to the budget, to bring them to the paragraphs. The focus of this budget scramble is the implementation of the government’s decisions,” says Marttinen.
One of the government’s decisions to adjust the framework crisis is to raise the general value added tax rate from 24 percent to 25.5 percent, which will come into effect at the beginning of September. HS asked Marttisen if the timing was right from the point of view of the economic situation.
“Is it ever the right time to make an adjustment? The reason why new adjustment measures were decided in the spring was due to the fact that without them, Finland would have been subject to the EU’s deficit procedure.”
According to Marttinen, growth seems to be picking up next year, but there is a lot of uncertainty in the air.
“Finland can’t afford to talk about growth. Politicians must honestly admit to Finns that our economic situation is serious.”
Marttinen according to, increasing local agreements is one of the most important proposals of this election period. In Marttinen’s opinion, the government’s labor market reforms will improve the possibility of SMEs to offer work and invest in Finland.
In his opinion, the tax incentive for clean industrial investments decided by the government in the frame rush will be greatly needed.
“When the incentive was prepared last spring, we set the goal of creating the most competitive tax incentive in Europe in Finland. That’s what it will be. This tax incentive is the most significant of the government’s growth measures,” Marttinen emphasizes.
Marttinen barks at the opposition parties, as the governing parties are wont to do at their summer meetings, as well as the opposition parties at the governing parties.
He regrets that the left-wing opposition has left its foot on the brake in Finland’s reform.
“Sdp’s proposals have so far consistently always started with the words: ‘cancel, postpone, leave undone’.”
In his opinion, the lack of alternatives is a problem for the left-wing opposition. “Once the credit card has been closed, the solutions to Finns’ problems are few and far between,” says Marttinen.
“The SDP has continued in the opposition with Marin’s fiery red line of economic policy. The more than three billion euro tax extortion program proposed by Sdp in the spring would be rough gravel for Finland’s economic growth. Antti Lindtman the tax hike would hit Finnish entrepreneurs cruelly. Lindtman’s Democrats are amazingly skilled at coming up with a new tax as a solution to every problem.”
Sdp has suggested a provincial tax as a solution, but Marttinen unequivocally rejected it.
“The provincial tax proposed by Sdp should be left in Lindtman’s desk drawer.”
After his speech, Marttinen said that in the provincial tax, the growing social and health care expenditures and labor taxation would be linked together.
“That would be an unsustainable combination. There would be no more stupid decision than to connect them together.”
According to Marttinen, next spring’s regional elections will be held normally. Member of Parliament of the Coalition Ville Valkonen has suggested that the regional councils be given up in vain.
“Regional councils decide on very central basic services, and my message to all parts of Finland has been that we need competent people to run for office,” says Marttinen.
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