Latvian Political Monitor

@E_Stendzenieks @andrislov You won't manage to introduce any inheritance tax, Erik😁 Just as you won't realize your own advertised flash action to rake Lenin's logs into pension savings.

All correct, you just haven't fully completed the courses. Tax reduction is not possible until you defeat the communists and take their money away. Those taxes have long been distributed in 'free' services, which the communists happily receive. Otherwise, bad things happen. If taxes are reduced without taking away the communist's 'free' morsel, the communists keep spending, but the state goes bankrupt. I do not want our country to go bankrupt the way the Soviet republics' family did. They were handing everything out for free until they went bankrupt. I urge you to continue lifelong learning and you will eventually get a diploma and receive my congratulations🙂

@ernestsd Claims from local producers about the bio-additive are already starting. We'll sort it out, a meeting is planned. There is not only a budget impact.

A political trap. ZZS now needs ratings like food. So they thought up promising all the earthly bananas and dividing them into petty handouts. Vienotība is right there. There’s no longer any need to worry about the budget, why not dig the hole even deeper? So it turns out that if AS were against, they would raise their ratings with their handouts. Because everyone understands that the voter is red up to the earlobe. So I don’t condemn it, political logic played out correctly, but that doesn’t help how I feel. My job is to look for ways to reduce squandering. Today two steps back.

I understand the provocative nature of the question. But I have supported this for many years. The goal is to collect more VAT by bringing part of the industry out of the shadows. A time-limited measure. If it doesn't happen in 2 years, we put it back. But it would apply to restaurants with serving staff. No burgers - those are factories with stamped products and they are fine.

Day No. 76 in the prime minister's seat (Tuesday) – Cabinet meeting already with -1 minister 😏 I returned from Lapland, but the Cabinet of Ministers has become one minister smaller during this time. 🏛️ Cabinet meeting – getting more and more amusing. The approach of elections can already be felt in almost every coalition partnership. The first government meeting with -1 minister – Uzulnieks is replaced by Augulis, but since Valainis is on a business trip, Augulis actually represented as many as 3 ZZS ministries today. 😄 🌾🚂🇷🇺 grains and Latvian farmers' exports We adopted a decision to increase the railway infrastructure fee for 🇷🇺 grain cargo. Our priority – export of Latvian farmers' products and the competitiveness of our own entrepreneurs. 📏 60 m² of land and the absurdity of bureaucracy Today I learned about yet another bureaucratic nonsense. The state is disposing of 60 m² of land, for which the owner is paid approximately €23, because that is the value of the land. But to carry out this transaction: ➖️ an appraisal costs about €200–300; ➖️ land surveying – another €1000–2000; ➖️ additionally, surveyor costs come on top. This is total nonsense. I tasked the Minister of Justice, Mr. Smiltēns, to immediately look for a solution and remove this unnecessary bureaucracy in cases where such small plots of land are involved. 🚌 €9.8 million to intercity bus operators We adopted a decision to pay bus operators €9.8 million in debt for intercity bus services. This problem has been dragging on unresolved for more than the tenure of two transport ministers of the previous government. At the same time, I tasked the Minister of Transport to bring a long-term solution already in October. Companies must know under what rules to work and how to plan their business further – they cannot live in uncertainty every year. 🎙️ LDDK/LTRK prime ministerial debates @AlvisHermanis1 did not come to the debate. Pity, because this was the right place to defend your ideas and position. I specifically wanted to hear: ➖️ what his plan for Latvia's economic growth is; ➖️ how to attract more investment; ➖️ how to increase Latvia's exports. I also find interesting the publicly voiced reproaches to LDDK and @LTRK_uznemeji about labor migration. Here, however, one should rely on facts, not loud slogans. 📊 Looking at the data on the so-called "pseudo student" problem, it is concentrated in specific universities – and @RostovskisA Turība is not among them. Whereas @darbadeveji itself does not in any way promote illegal migration. Also, for example, the Karavela led by @AndrisBite employs third-country workers legally and in a relatively small volume – mainly because in Latvia there simply are not people willing to do such physically demanding work. 👉 Migration must be discussed seriously. But more importantly – based on data, facts, and the real situation, not statements.

@normundsbergs There is already something in stock now. Soon we will meet and discuss options what to buy more or some other solution. Approximately 12 million needed. Useful thing for the economy. On top of economic losses over 200 million, not to mention social, this is a no brainer.

I will please my ill-wishers. I feel this bad for the first time in these months. Spending millions pointlessly in one day is very, very bleak. I see every day how difficult it is to scrape together even a few million for a good initiative (recently we gave a few more million for palliative care), but like this... and everything goes to waste in one go. Damn😏

I can explain, I have a clear history of that. Everyday items like computers and office supplies are in the EIS system catalogs. You go in, choose, click, and you've bought. At some point under each item there was a procurement and then a long-term contract. About 4-5 years. Everything 'checked'. Well, there isn't much difference from market price, or none at all. Although there have been curiosities too. And then there's another option - an institution can go to ss lv, find the cheapest and send a request to make an offer. That's an administrative hassle and in the end it might turn out that the official gets blamed (legal nuances). So it's safer to buy from the catalog. In everyday items this all works relatively well, problems arise when you buy something unique or specific. And then in specific cases it's madness. Millions are paid for programming hours without any real understanding of whether you're overpaying even tenfold. Well, we mechanically addressed this during the IT moratorium. But then medical procurement also surfaced, with suspicions that prices are deliberately doubled. But currently the state doesn't have the capacity of such specialists who could objectively price IT - that would need a separate brigade (VDAA likely). Well, that's it. And closing such schemes is difficult because there's no easy way to prove waste or corruption. The European Prosecutor's Office in that same IT case promises results only after years. Those mills grind slowly.

@Caifaric_yahoo @AivarsMarkots @romans_melniks These numbers contain practically nothing from AB and RB. That's just how it is.

Yes, we also gave the cooperation partners the budget breakdown and asked them to come with proposals. So far they have offered some tens of millions. I myself have a list of options for a few hundred million. But. There's no point in it right now anyway, because 400+ new expenditures have been decided, waiting in line. What they cut, they'll cover with double the new expenditures.

@MS636TQM @Apvienotais_ VAT is a tax that is EU-coordinated. We cannot take it upon ourselves and act as whims. For quick action we can only do what we are allowed to decide immediately.

@GirtsKarnitis @realNepareizais I think that only one annoying thing is wasteful (by definition greater in any public administration compared to the private sector), but the other is that I predict and hope that the European Prosecutor's Office will get involved not only in IT procurements.

@GirtsKarnitis @realNepareizais We really spend relatively little against GDP, and GDP is also relatively small. But budget revenues are also smaller, even on average relative to GDP. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Today we calculated how many tens of millions of budget money will now be glued to fuel 'discounts'. Political parties have flung themselves into an auction competition. Hit, counter-hit, out and yesss, goooal - knocked out (the loser flies into the goal). What an exciting fight! The most expensive option currently is 47 million per year for the budget. Plus there are 400 million already previously glued funds for which the money has not been found, and even borrowing to the brim - it won't happen anyway. So after the elections it will evaporate like last year's stubble. But for now the most expensive MP mandates in Latvian history are being made. Good that it's Monopoly money. But every cloud has a silver lining. In fact, this is a Guinness record. Half a billion of non-existent money is 5 million per one MP mandate. Congratulations, comrades🤝

Logically written, but my emphasis is elsewhere. People's way of thinking is not rational; practically no one reasons that way. They reason like this - I pay taxes, where's my free euro-renovation service for nothing! For example, the very availability of health services. The question is, first of all, about how much and what of our paid taxes we can realistically afford? Declaratively this service is 'free'. But practically it is available only to those who can stand (and for a long time) in queues. And overall in the health system, the state allocates 2 euros, we pay 1 euro from our own pocket (out of pocket expenses). That too is the service in the quality and volume we can afford. But shouting doesn't help - it's promised to be free. And here's another thing. We are a relatively poor EU country. But medical equipment costs the same everywhere. Yes, salaries are lower, but that doesn't compensate for the rest. And we will be able to afford even less if now again before the elections they drop the excise duty on fuel (realistically). But that doesn't stop people from shouting - where's my Lenin log!