The fundamental nightly decision of the Chamber of Deputies to reduce taxes partially redrawn the political map and provokes a number of emotional reactions – especially because they jointly voted YES and ODS. While the YES movement may lose the coalition CSSD, some members of which are calling for leaving the government, the ODS will probably not change the fact that it will go to a three-party coalition with TOP 09 and KDU-CSL.
Anyone watching after midnight from Thursday to Friday vote The Chamber of Deputies on tax cuts must have felt in those moments that the result of the vote would cause unprecedented emotions on the political scene – which has also happened and is still happening.
But it is not just about emotions, it will be even more important if this “voting shock” does not divide the government coalition YES and the CSSD, because both sides voted differently. Just as it will be interesting what the vote will do with the relations between the ODS, TOP 09 and KDU-ČSL, ie the parties that are going to go to the parliamentary elections together.
Current information @News from PS! Law approved! Taxes reduced! State ax increased! We’re done! It’s exactly two o’clock in the morning! Here you will find all the details to the law – https://t.co/0grFsHQnjP Good night! I mean – I don’t know if I fall asleep 🙂
– Radek Bartonicek (@R_Bartonicek) November 20, 2020
–
Despite all the sharp statements and sentences on social networks, it seems for the time being that the Social Democrats will continue to stay in government and want TOP 09 with KDU-ČSL to join the three-party coalition with ODS.
Leaving the government is not on the agenda, says Hamáček
The strongest statement so far came from the governor of the Pardubice region, Martin Netolický (ČSSD), who is asking the leadership for the party to leave the government.
“THE CUP IS OVERFLOW: SOCIAL DEMOCRACY MUST LEAVE THE GOVERNMENT THAT HAS STOPPED WORKING NIGHT. OTHERWISE IT WILL BE FOR LAUGHTER,” he commented in large letters on Facebook night session of the House and continued – in small letters – that the populist efforts of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš end in a social and economic crisis.
“The undignified role of the CSSD should end quickly. Let him (YES, ed. Note) find out who he wants with. I sincerely pray that the marathon of one private movement will end. Failure to adhere to coalition cooperation is the minimum of yesterday’s stupid farce.” Netolický stated, stating that cooperation with Babiš will be recorded in the party’s long history as an almost liquidating experience.
The CSSD should leave the government immediately. Tax shortfall of 135 billion = no money for education, health care, social services, police, fire brigade, pensions and other public services. Remaining after voting by a coalition partner is resignation from the program and the loss of meaning in the existence of the CSSD.
– Jiří Dienstbier (@jiridienstbier) November 20, 2020
–
The same was said by Jiří Dienstbier, who was a senator for the CSSD until this year and, like Netolický, opposed the CSSD’s entry into the government with YES. “The CSSD should leave the government immediately. The 135 billion tax shortfall equates to a lack of money for education, health care, social services, police, fire brigade, pensions and other public services. Persistence after the coalition partner’s vote is resignation from the program and loss meaning of the existence of the CSSD, “says Dienstbier.
However, it is clear from the statements of the head of the CSSD, Jan Hamáček, that at least for the time being he will not “order” to leave the government. “In a situation where it is necessary to deal with the coronavirus crisis every day, there is no need to address the challenges of leaving the government. It is not on the agenda,” said Hamáček, who remains with only critical words to YES.
“In recent hours, we have witnessed a disruption of public finances. The approval of the tax package by YES, ODS and SPD means that the Czech Republic will borrow and become enormously indebted to make the rich even richer. This way of abolishing the super-gross wage, which was YES and the ODS is enforced, it will endanger the long-term functioning of the health and social system, there is a risk of the privatization of hospitals or the collapse of pensions, “Hamáček wrote in his opinion. However, he did not mention the YES movement in a single word in the sense that he was just considering leaving the government.
That the top CSSD were not inclined to leave the government was evident already at night in the Chamber of Deputies, when some opposition deputies called on the CSSD to leave the government. The first deputy chairman of the CSSD and MP Roman Onderka objected to this.
“There are other political actors here to break the government in the Czech Republic. All you have to do is look to the right, but you are a seasoned politician to even remember it. First of all. And secondly, why is social democracy in this government, even if “We have a different opinion on some things? It’s very simple, because this government fulfills 90 percent of the program of left-wing social democracy, the program we promised our constituents, and that is why there is social democracy in this government,” Onderka said.
Nothing has changed, say representatives of ODS, TOP 09 and KDU-ČSL about the three-party coalition
While the joint governance of YES and the CSSD until the elections is not entirely certain, on the right it looks like the joint action of the ODS, TOP 09 and KDU-CSL, despite the fact that the Civic Democrats were the only ones in the trio to vote for tax changes.
The chairman of the TOP 09 parliamentary club, Miroslav Kalousek, made it clear on Friday that nothing had changed in these plans. “The YES movement violated the coalition agreement for the years 2017 to 2021. The ODS did not violate anything. We are negotiating a coalition for the years 2021 to 2025,” Kalousek announced. He thus came across the coalition agreement of the current government between ANO and the CSSD.
Pan @P_Fiala now he defends Babiš’s proposal by saying that it is a good proposal, because if we borrow an extra 80 billion, he will have, for example, a fire extinguisher a year 23 thousand more. So we are “trocars”. If we borrowed an extra 160 billion, the firefighter could have 46 thousand more. And that would be even better!
– Miroslav Kalousek (@kalousekm) November 19, 2020
–
As for the contract YES, TOP 09 and KDU-ČSL, representatives of all three parties are working on it and do not intend to change anything about it. Despite being strongly criticized by the ODS for its support of further widening of the state budget deficit.
In particular, Kalousek spoke several times in the debate before the vote and very emotionally insisted that the YES proposal not be passed with the support of the ODS. “Please get on your knees! You want to make a $ 150 billion ax that we don’t have. Does the young generation really deserve this? Neither do the sixties deserve that! Please don’t commit this budget crime!” Kalousek insisted that everyone who supported it would be scared to death.
Nevertheless, ODS deputies unanimously supported the proposal, and ODS chairman Petr Fiala has repeatedly written on social networks since Friday morning why his party chose such a procedure: “Every year we call for a balanced budget. Every year we propose cuts in unnecessary state expenditures, such as last year 46 billion. “to say that it is not possible to reduce people’s taxes. It is! The state has it without any problems, it must not be run by populists and socialists,” he told the public.
Fiala wrote the first report the night after the vote. “Great news for all hard-working people. After years of persistent efforts, we have pushed through our proposal and the super-gross wage has been abolished. And what does that mean? Every employee will have about 7 percent more net!” said Fiala.
However, a look at the comments below his contributions suggests that his critics include ODS voters, who point out that the state budget deficit will increase by many tens of billions. Fiala answered them quite forcefully. “The enemies of low taxes are terrified that the ODS suddenly has enough power to reduce them. So they started to distort reality. You vote with Babiš, you liquidate the budget, do it some other time, but not now, they say. They intimidate, slander, invent. So only one message: we are sensible and stubborn, you will not be discouraged. We will do what we promised people. Low taxes are good, we trust them and we will use the opportunity to enforce them, “advised the head of the ODS.
Criticism also comes from ODS members
However, some important members of the party are also against it, such as the regional representative in the Vysočina region, Eva Decroix, a former unsuccessful candidate for the Senate or the European Parliament. “I do not agree with the abolition of the super-gross wage. Not now and here! And I say this knowing that the ODS had this point on the agenda, and knowing that it supported it. Sure, I wish all of us to have a good time and make more money. But it will not bring it will take the money needed into the wallets of those who need it, but it will take a lot of the state’s money. And the money we give out today will be needed as salt when all this is over! ” she stated.
The People’s Party also joined the ODS, who, both in the Chamber of Deputies and on social networks, called the YES and ODS procedure completely irresponsible. “Only a minimum of people will improve. Especially the richer ones, not the middle- and low-income families who need it,” complains the chairman of KDU-ČSL Marian Jurečka. “It is necessary to realize that drastic shortfalls from regional budgets, if the government enforces these changes, may mean in practice that the regions will not have money to finance social services, and in reality it may mean their threat and decline, as well as decline in hospice care, “added Jan Bartošek, chairman of the KDU-ČSL parliamentary club.
But they both made sure they didn’t mention the ODS in any way. Every time they talked about tax changes, they criticized either the YES movement or the government. It is also clear that the People’s Party is counting on a three-party coalition with the ODS and TOP 09. However, this week the chairmen of these parties also spoke together, announced that they were working on a joint program and also had a joint working group to address coronavirus issues.
– .
