The Belgian budget needs to be rebalanced, and MR party leader Georges-Louis Bouchez calls for lower government spending and reduced taxes.
Bouchez shared his message on social media, urging his coalition partners and parliamentary colleagues to avoid electoral calculations and ideological deadlock. “The future of the country is in our hands,” he said, stressing the importance of decisive reforms as discussions on adjusting the multiannual budget approach. His comments come as credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded Belgium and the federal government remains locked in debates over energy measures amidst ongoing tensions.
According to Bouchez, Belgium’s state structure has been deteriorating for over three decades due to a lack of substantial reform. He argues that the current government is making progress but must push further to address systemic issues.
To reduce public spending, Bouchez proposed several measures, including halving the number of politicians by abolishing bodies such as provincial administrations, the Senate, and the majority of Brussels bureaucratic structures. He also pointed to excess infrastructure, such as justice buildings and sparsely used train stations, along with hospitals located too close to each other, as areas where spending could be reduced. Further cuts could be made in the management of long-term sickness absences, union operations, and special pension schemes.
Bouchez clarified that these fiscal cuts do not conflict with targeted, temporary energy support for workers, such as reducing fuel taxes. Instead, he views lower taxes as essential for boosting economic growth, another cornerstone of Belgium’s fiscal recovery. MR has long supported financial aid to offset rising energy prices and has proposed allocating €50 million for this purpose, even threatening to withhold support for other government initiatives if the measures are not implemented.
The liberal leader reiterated his opposition to new taxes, stating that fiscal justice should not serve as an excuse to increase the tax burden. “For the left, fiscal justice always translates to more taxes, but this is something we cannot accept. We live in a world of global competition, which forces us to finally become efficient,” he added.
