The core cabinet will also not have a plenary meeting on Sunday about the tax reform. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) has been in bilateral contact with the deputy prime ministers all day, can be heard in government circles. Those bilateral talks will continue on Sunday evening.
The federal government has now been meeting for four weekends to discuss the tax reform, the showpiece of Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V). Those talks are progressing slowly, although the exercise has already been reduced from 6 to 2 billion euros. The government wants a reduction in the burden for those who work, but there is disagreement about financing. The French-speaking liberals of MR do not want to know about extra taxes and demand a far-reaching reform of the labor market.
Also this weekend, the talks do not seem to be going smoothly for the time being. In any case, there was no question of a plenary meeting for the time being. The prime minister maintained bilateral contacts with the other vices on Saturday, and did so again today/Sunday. Those bilaterals will continue on Sunday evening. It is not clear whether another plenary meeting is planned for Monday.
5 more days
The prime minister has been emphasizing for weeks that he is aiming for an agreement before July 21, the national holiday. The summer holidays traditionally start for the federal ministers afterwards.
CD&V chairman Sammy Mahdi said in VTM News on Sunday afternoon that the agreement must in any case be reached by July 21 in order to realize the first step of a tax reform this legislature. “If everyone continues to put their own taboos on the table, we will remain world champions in the field of taxation on labour. We still have five days, a lot can happen in that.”
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