Paluck: everyone who can work has to work

The Council of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) met on Friday to present a draft of the Seimas party’s electoral program. The LSDP council also discussed political issues.

The president of the LSDP Gintautas Paluckas and the coordinator of the program’s preparation, the political scientist Liutauras Gudžinskas, presented the draft program for the Social Democratic elections, entitled “Let’s restore confidence”. The full party program will only be approved in September.

Critical Arrows

LSDP President G. Paluck began his speech by criticizing both parties working together in the opposition and members of the ruling coalition.

“We did the show for a long time, better than going to the villages with some kind of survey,” G. Paluckas immediately told critics of the National Union of Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), hearing that while traveling to meetings. with voters, you have.

Delphi recalls that conservatives are conducting a national poll to ask voters about solutions to the country’s underlying problems.

The President of the LSDP proposed to evaluate the work of the current term of the Seimas.

“When it comes to the future, let’s not forget the past. (…) Many would probably like to forget the 4-year-old epic, it was an experiment: professional government in various areas of public life. (…) Yes someone asks why the LSDP, can safely say that we are not experimenting with human destinies ”, the head of the LSDP launched an arrow of criticism towards the current ruling majority.

Paluck was surprised that the welfare state could not be built on borrowed funds.

“We are on a dangerous path, we are trying to create a welfare state from borrowed funds, a shower of benefits,” said the politician, stressing that this is not the way to build a welfare state.

“Everyone who can work must work,” he reminded members of the party’s Social Democratic slogan. “When we talk about the welfare state, let’s not forget universal employment, jobs, decent wages are a prerequisite for any generous social measure. Because otherwise it is not the welfare state, but the borrowed state,” said G Paluckas.

He said that all the political parties’ ratings regarding the LSDP were meaningless.

“Wherever we go, people accept us with a very open heart and listen to what the LSDP has to offer,” he explained.

“Conservatives don’t love people very much, peasants too, so we have a chance,” said the LSDP president.

Set goals

The main ideas of the LSDP electoral program are as follows: inspire the country’s cultural improvement and restore the future for all Lithuanian children and the prospect for adults after the reorganization of education; create a welfare state based on solidarity taxes, the promotion of entrepreneurship and technological progress, adequate income protection and efficient medical care; implement the new green agreement, which would connect urban and rural areas, businesses and nature; to empower society in a fortified state, safe and open to international cooperation.

One of the goals of the LSDP is to create a welfare state. According to the draft of the electoral program, the party, by supporting “increasingly stronger voices in the country to create a welfare state”, proposes the objective of “building a welcoming and environmentally friendly House of the Nation, where each inhabitant feels his own and is not excluded. “

Budget proposals

Until 2024, increase budget revenues through the tax system to 35%. GDP (now 30.5% of GDP, compared to the EU average of 40.3% of GDP).

It also aims to increase the progressivity of the tax system.

According to the draft LSDP program, the reduced VAT rate for food products: not more than 12 percent. (EU average 12.5%)

The draft party program, and the expansion of the tax base, includes increased taxation of capital and wealth. Increase people’s tax awareness and harmonize tax policies at EU level (including taxation of large digital companies, financial transactions, CO2). And environmental taxes through the introduction of social safeguards.

Additional investment, according to the draft LSDP program, for culture (now 1.1% of GDP) – reaching 2%. GDP, education – (now 4.6% of GDP) – to 6%. GDP, health care (now 6.7% of GDP) – to 8%. GDP and social protection (now 15.1% of GDP) would aim to approach the Visegrad average (18.9% of GDP).

In the field of social security, the draft LSDP program sets the following objectives.

In the area of ​​pensions, there is an increase in the replacement rate (towards the EU average); the second pillar is a system financed by private contributions; introduction of a universal national pension.

“Our elders are the generation that raised Lithuania, for which we must say moral gratitude, but also secure it with financial means,” said L. Gudžinskas during the presentation of the program.

The objective is to guarantee the development of social services, combat discrimination against the disabled and reduce the gender gap.

Labor relations: active and passive measures in the labor market, fight against undeclared work, extension of trade union rights, monitoring of the labor code.

Support for young families and child welfare: (for example, money for children, school preparation, free meals), tax incentives, preschool education network, organization of children’s free time, assistance to infertile families, guarantee of the right to grow in the family, reduction and prevention of violence against children.

The list has already been presented.

Delphi recalls that the LSDP has already announced candidates in single-member constituencies and its list in multi-member constituencies. It contains 141 surnames. First on the list is the president of the Gintautas Paluckas party. He was not classified and will appear in the constituency of a single member of Utena.

After the party president in second place on the list, the elder of the LSDP faction in the Seimas Rasa Budbergytė (sole member of Šeškinė – Šnipiškė).

It ranked first in the public ranking in early June.

The third on the list is Linas Jonauskas, who will participate in the World Single Lithuanian Single Member.

Fourth – Orinta Leiputė (Kalniečių single member), fifth – sociologist, economist prof. Romas Lazutka (sole member of Fabijoniškės).

In sixth place – MP Julius Sabatauskas (sole member of Alytus), in seventh – Member of Seimas Dovilė Šakalienė (individual member of Old Town-Žvėrynas), in eighth – Raminta Popovienė (sole member of Raudondvaris), ninth – Member from the Seimas Algirdas Sysvas (Molėta (Medininkai member only).