“A taxing rage, never seen before”
First point addressed by Martin Buxant: who really pays the budget? For the president of the Liberals, there is no doubt: it is the State above all that pays him. “We carried out a budgetary consolidation of 32 billion (over the entire legislature, including 9.2 billion during the agreement of November 24, editor’s note”), he recalls. “We targeted so as not to affect workers, those who save and those who invest, because I already know great cinema…” he anticipates. “We have the worst budget in the European Union,” underlines Georges-Louis Bouchez.
A response which clearly did not please Paul Magnette. “We had to make efforts”, he concedes, “no one disputes that. But it is the workers, the middle classes and the pensioners who are paying the bill. Half of the workers will lose 500 euros, or more. Current pensioners will lose 1000 euros per year. And on the side, we have this shower of new taxes. We have never seen such tax rage”, protests the socialist president.
Faced with his opponent’s rhetoric, Bouchez decided to step up, interrupting Paul Magnette repeatedly. “I am quite stunned that a university professor would indulge in so much inaccuracy. We also lower taxes a lot. The only time we lower taxes is when the liberals are there, unlike the socialists,” he insists.
“There is no reason to be enthusiastic, the path to a balanced budget is still enormous”
“We protect the middle classes”
If the real targets of this budgetary reform did not bring together the two interlocutors, Martin Buxant’s second subject, namely the contribution of “broader shoulders”, only increased the gap between the liberal and the socialist.
“You don’t live in people’s concrete lives” criticizes Paul Magnette. “Gas will be more expensive with the new MR taxes. The MR never wants to make the wealthy pay,” continues the president of the PS, before addressing a dig at his rival, following a discussion in Parliament: “But you weren’t in Parliament last week“, he smiles. “With you, it’s always the workers and the salaries who pay.”
For Georges-Louis Bouchez, these criticisms do not pass. “We are protecting the middle class,” he defends himself. “These taxes on the broadest of shoulders are stupidity. I accept it, even if we do it much more than the PS,” he underlines.
“It’s true, you do a lot more stupid things than the PS,” Magnette immediately responds, ready to pounce. “The only one with whom it’s impossible to debate is you,” he attacks. “You have no arguments to debate, you are a liar,” is the response from the other side of the table.
Bart De Wever, the budgetary fog and the growing unease
“Mr Magnette spreads nonsense”
Third part of the evening: the double index jump planned by the Arizona government. “Mr Magnette is spreading nonsense on the economic level. Dermagne, a shadow minister of the economy and employment, has taken no action,” criticizes Georges-Louis Bouchez.
An attack which forces the president of the PS to react. “The MR has been in government for 26 years, without interruption. Are workers paying too much taxes in Belgium? Yes, but who is responsible? The MR!” continues Paul Magnette, before discussing the difficulties encountered by many professions, including teachers and nursing staff. “Three billion savings will be made, there is someone who will pay for it.”
Faced with these criticisms, however, Georges-Louis Bouchez presents several figures. “We are going to give them 200 euros net every month. It’s not a lie, these are figures”, he underlines, while, for his part, Paul Magnette prefers to talk about the status of teachers, who “will lose 500 euros per year”.
Bart De Wever, the multi-faceted Antwerp separatist who wanted to “make his name go down in history”
“When you listen to Georges-Louis Bouchez, it’s always the same thing,” concludes Paul Magnette. “Workers earn too much, and we must make them contribute. The wealthy, on the other hand, must not. We can increase salaries, ensure that those who started working early leave earlier. Yes, we can respect teachers.”
“Our role“, Bouchez replies, “it is to protect people in terms of security, but also on the economic level, so that we do not remain in the catastrophe that the left has left us. We reward work by lowering taxes, and favoring those who have actually worked. We want to break with the fate that has blighted Wallonia and Brussels“.
