Opposition lawmakers on Sunday stepped up their offensive on President Park Geun-hye’s proposed tax hikes, foreshadowing further partisan wrangling over budget issues.
“The tax raises are representative of the president’s policy that increases the burden on the poor while lowering taxes for the wealthiest,” said Rep. Kim Ki-sik of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy.
Park’s plans to increase taxes on tobacco products and automobiles and to introduce a residential poll tax have met fierce resistance from the opposition. The Park administration says the taxes are designed to improve public health standards and aid provincial governments under financial stress.
The opposition claims the extra levies will hit low-income earners the hardest, as the poor are the main consumers of cigarettes and motor vehicles. The residential poll tax is flat, meaning lower earners pay a larger proportion of their incomes.
The opposition’s continued resistance is expected to lead to another partisan war of words.
The lengthened bickering in turn would delay the approval of thousands of other draft bills, as lawmakers are already under a tight schedule to finish reviewing the 2015 budget by Dec. 1 in accordance with the National Assembly Act.
The NPAD and the ruling Saenuri Party were engaged in a months-long standstill over the special Sewol bill from July until late last month. Due to failed negotiations over the bill, the main parties left over 7,000 proposed laws pending, triggering fierce public criticism.
The deadlock was resolved on Sept. 30, raising hopes that the pending bills would finally be reviewed. Sunday’s comments by NPAD lawmakers, however, suggest another standoff.
From Tuesday until Oct. 27, lawmakers will conduct yearly parliamentary audits of the government to unearth any wrongdoing by public officials.
After the audits, lawmakers will begin reviewing the government’s proposed budget for next year. The review usually takes weeks, but legislators will have to expedite the review of the budget bill as it will automatically be put to a vote on Dec. 2.
Among the pending bills are key international agreements such as the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement, and amendments to safety laws that were proposed in the wake of the April 16 Sewol ferry tragedy.
Other bills include an amendment to the Government Organization Act and a controversial amendment suggested by the president to disband the Coast Guard following its alleged failure to rescue more victims during the April 16 ferry disaster. Critics say the move appears brash, as the Coast Guard’s role encompasses a wide range of affairs, including maritime security in the West Sea, where Chinese fishing boats often encroach on South Korean waters.
By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)
