SEOUL-- Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), on Thursday insisted on giving additional universal COVID-19 relief grants even after Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the government coffers can't afford them.
"We have financial resources because there is a tax revenue surplus," Lee told Yonhap News Agency by phone. "That surplus comes from people's pain, so we should use it to alleviate their suffering."
Earlier this week, Lee said the government should dole out additional cash handouts to all people, claiming the relief amount is too small considering the nation's GDP and in comparison with other countries.
He called for providing an additional 300,000-500,000 won (US$250-$425) per person at least since the government is expected to log a larger-than-expected surplus in tax revenue this year.
But Prime Minister Kim said Wednesday in a radio interview that the government cannot afford another round of universal COVID-19 relief grants, emphasizing that the most urgent task for now is to compensate the self-employed and small business owners suffering from the pandemic.
Kim also pointed out that there is only two months left to execute this year's national budget and since the National Assembly has just started to review the government's 2022 budget proposal, it's really up to lawmakers to deal with Lee's proposal.
Lee said there could be different opinions on providing extra COVID-19 relief cash handouts but that his side will try to persuade naysayers and find common ground on the issue. The DP's policymaking unit earlier said it started to review Lee's call for additional relief grants.
"I do not think this is a clash (between the government and the party)," he said. "We are just in an adjustment process since we have different opinions on policies."
Lee said he prefers money for additional relief grants to be reflected in next year's budget.
Considering South Korea's 51.3 million population, the government needs to spend at least more than 15 trillion won if it accepts Lee's proposal of giving cash handouts to all people.
Source: Yonhap News Agency