The new leader of the main opposition party vowed Monday to raise the corporate tax rate amid controversy over the government’s dwindling welfare budget.
Moon Jae-in was elected chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy in a national convention Sunday, about 26 months after he lost the presidential election to then ruling party candidate and now president Park Geun-hye.
“Our party members and the people did not give me power but a responsibility to protect the lives of the people,” he said in his first meeting with other members of the party’s Supreme Council.
“It is an order to stand against the Park Geun-hye government. I will block the recklessness of the Park Geun-hye government, which is destroying the people’s lives.”
Moon especially accused Park of deceiving the public with her campaign pledge to expand welfare without tax hikes. Since taking office in February 2013, the Park administration has been dogged by questions about whether it will be able to implement all of the expensive welfare projects she promised without raising taxes.
The government has come under fire in recent months for raising tobacco prices, pushing to reform civil service pensions and introducing a revised tax settlement scheme, all of which critics argue are designed to squeeze more money out of ordinary wage earners.
“I will cut through to withdraw tax cuts for the rich, such as by normalizing the corporate tax rate,” Moon said. “I will once again establish a fair tax system.”
South Korea’s corporate tax rate on taxable income exceeding 20 billion won ($18.2 million) was lowered from 25 percent to 22 percent during the preceding Lee Myung-bak administration.
Earlier in the day, Moon visited the National Cemetery in Seoul to pay tribute to late former presidents, including Presidents Rhee Syng-man and Park Chung-hee, the father of the current president.
About 50 opposition lawmakers accompanied Moon on the visit.
It marked the first time that the opposition party’s leadership paid their respects to the late authoritarian leaders whose legacies still divide the Korean public.
Former President Park is praised by his supporters for leading the country’s economic development in the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War, but denounced by his critics for brutally suppressing democracy.
“I decided to pay my respects with the hope of contributing to national unity,” Moon told reporters after paying tribute at the late presidents’ graves.
“True national unity is not achieved by paying respects at a cemetery but when the perpetrators repent for their historical wrongdoing, offer their sincere apology to the people, comfort the victims, and the victims come to have a heart of forgiveness,” he said. “I sincerely urge the Park Geun-hye government to take that path to true reconciliation and unity.” (Yonhap)
