Public finance | The government discusses the need for savings – Purra tells the other ministers the “worm numbers”

Government meets on Thursday morning to discuss the need for savings in public finances.

The Treasury minister Riikka Purran the purpose of the discussion organized on the initiative is to bring the entire government up to date on how far-reaching new savings decisions the government is facing.

“All government groups and ministers must share a common picture of the situation and understand what the government program's debt and deficit entries and, for example, the EU's new financial rules require of us. In the government's discussion, I will discuss the worm numbers with officials from the Ministry of Finance,” Purra tells Helsingin Sanomat.

Treasury has estimated that the government should decide on no less than three billion euros in new cuts and tax increases for next year. According to officials, this is the only way Finland would avoid the EU's excessive deficit procedure, i.e. the “observation category”.

Prime minister Petteri Orpo (kok) again said last week that the savings need for next year would only be one and a half billion. The different figures are due to the fact that the Ministry of Finance also takes into account the investment program of the government program and possible additional budgets in its own calculation.

Government parties started looking for targets for cuts and tax extortion last week, the chairman of the parliamentary group of the coalition Matias Marttinen in the working group led by Decisions are to be made during the April frame rush.

It would be difficult to agree on already one and a half billion euros in cuts and tax cuts.

An additional adjustment of three billion euros, on the other hand, would almost be a task comparable to government negotiations. In the government program, there are direct savings measures for about three billion euros. Agreeing on them was the result of long negotiations.