Eesti 200 chairman: We finally have money
Kristina Kallas, minister of education and research and leader of Eesti 200, said the government finally has money to stimulate the economy and boost people's purchasing power. After Postimees published a story quoting her on the matter, Kallas apologized for her choice of words but repeated her assessment.
"We've been making unpopular decisions for two years. Now, for the first time, I feel like we also have the money to make popular decisions. We've got a shitload of money!" That was how Postimees relayed the initial reaction of Eesti 200 leader and Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas to the economic forecast released on Tuesday.
"I want to apologize for the quote in Postimees' headline. That was not an appropriate way to express myself; I did not speak politely. And secondly, it's not even true. Yesterday, I ran into Mikk Salu outside the Postimees building, I had just come out of the Postimees studio and even gave ERR an interview at the door. Mikk and I chatted cheerfully for three minutes, we joked around, quoted classics and then I went to my car. I had no idea I was giving an interview. It was just a conversation outside by the door," Kallas wrote on social media Wednesday morning.
"I'm embarrassed by that joke; it was not appropriate and that's not how I should express myself in public. I apologize," Kallas said.
"And no, we don't have piles of money. For the first time since I've been in government, we have a positive budget forecast — the nominal deficit has decreased and the structural position is in surplus," she added.
Kallas said the government had made a major effort in Estonia, which came with deep cuts to benefits and daily hardships for people.
"But we are climbing out of a deep budget hole and the state budget has been fixed. Next year's increase in defense spending will push the budget back into deficit, but that is entirely justified and people also support taking on debt to cover defense costs," Kallas wrote.
"But the state's fixed costs are under control. That creates an opportunity to start investing again. And that's what I was joking about with Mikk — that in all my years in government, I've never once been in a position where I could plan investments; we've had to make painful cuts in two consecutive budgets. Finally, we have money we can use to stimulate the economy and strengthen people's purchasing power. But joking is not the way to express that," Kallas said.
Prime Minister and Reform Party leader Kristen Michal told Vikerraadio Tuesday that this year's budget is over €800 million better off than planned.
According to Michal, the government is working to cancel the planned income tax hike. Michal was also highly critical of the car tax.
Kallas to Tartu paper: Reform Party has become a party of power
At the same time, in an interview published Wednesday in Tartu Postimees, Kallas said the government has failed to explain to people why certain changes, such as the car tax, are necessary.
Kallas also criticized her coalition partner, the Reform Party, saying it has made foolish mistakes in its communications, especially in Tallinn.
"The Reform Party may be called the party of reforms, but for the most part it has become a party of power, whose main goal is simply to stay in power," Kallas said.
Kallas also stated that Eesti 200 stands against the Reform Party's crude populism.
"One example of populism, which also reached us through the Reform Party, was the abolition of kindergarten fees in Tallinn," Kallas said.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Marcus Turovski
