[일하는 서울시] Choi Min-gyu, Seoul City Council Budget and Settlement Special Committee Chairman
Chairman Choi Min-gyu said, “We will do our best to ensure that precious tax resources are distributed rationally to revitalize the lives of citizens.” Provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Council The Seoul Metropolitan Council plays an important role in reviewing the budget and funds of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, which amounts to a total of 70 trillion won annually.
Representative Choi Min-gyu (People Power Party, Dongjak 2), who took over as the first chairman of the Budget and Settlement Special Committee in the second half of the year, which reviews such a huge budget, said, “I have great concerns about how to rationally review the budget that is precious to the citizens.” “I will do my best to serve as a guardian of finances to overcome the economic crisis and ensure that the foundation for a leap forward for the future is reflected in the budget,” he said.
In particular, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that Korea’s economic growth rate will be in the 2% range next year, raising concerns that low growth will become entrenched, and that rising prices, decreased consumption, and job instability will make the daily lives of citizens difficult. In response, Chairman Choi expressed his determination, saying, “I will do my best to ensure that financial resources are reasonably distributed at the city council level to revitalize the lives of citizens.”
―In what direction do you think the public livelihood recovery budget should be used?
“I think, above all, it should be used in a way that can contribute to actual economic recovery. We must focus on policies that can bring about sustainable and structural change rather than one-time support or policies that aim for short-term effects. To achieve this, financial efficiency must be increased. Methods such as the ‘250,000 won payment method’ may have the effect of temporarily stimulating consumption, but there is a risk of triggering a rise in prices by providing excessive liquidity. In the end, it may cause greater suffering to the middle class and ordinary people. Therefore, the budget to restore people’s livelihood should aim to stabilize prices, resolve income inequality, and secure economic growth engines. In addition, financial management that minimizes the burden on future generations and use of the budget in a way that respects local autonomy must be assumed.”
―Establishing a budget to respond to climate disasters such as heat waves and heavy rain is also key… .
“Climate disasters can cause heat waves like this summer or long-term bitter cold like last winter. It can appear in various forms, such as rainy season or typhoon. For this reason, responding to specific weather events with customized projects may face limitations. First of all, there is a need to expand the use of disaster funds that can respond immediately to disasters caused by the climate crisis and to expand the size of the disaster reserve fund, which is currently around 20 billion won. However, as uncertainty arises about tax revenue conditions for this year and next year, some difficulties are expected in securing fund resources or increasing reserve funds. “As the climate crisis requires long-term preparation, I think related financial resources will need to be gradually increased and secured.”
―The economic structure is undergoing dramatic changes due to low birth rates and aging population. What are the specific measures to improve the financial soundness and sustainability of Seoul City?
“Direct concerns about financial soundness and sustainability are the responsibility of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, which are executive agencies with budget planning authority. The Seoul City Council’s Special Committee on Budget and Settlement, which has been entrusted with the authority of 10 million Seoul citizens as a financial watchdog, examines whether the budget planning authority has reviewed tax revenue conditions, collected the originally estimated tax revenue at an appropriate time, and reflected it in the expenditure budget without any leaks from tax sources. However, in the current crisis situation of low birth rate and aging, securing stable tax revenue and appropriate expenditure allocation must be prioritized regardless of the budget executing agency or the agency that reviews and decides on the budget. In the case of Seoul City, its revenue budget consists of tax sources linked to national economic activities such as acquisition tax, local income tax, and local consumption tax, so it is not expected that there will be an immediate tax revenue shortage. In terms of expenditure budget, it is believed that a large amount of the budget should be allocated to projects that can increase the birth rate, and regarding aging, the budget should be allocated to financial projects that coexist universal welfare and productive welfare that can ensure a stable life in old age. ”
―What are the main considerations ahead of this year’s Seoul budget deliberation?
“Above all, we have established four principles to ensure that the principles and standards of budget review are adhered to and that financial resources are distributed efficiently to avoid wastage. First, we plan to focus on financial soundness and review to ensure that the financial burden is not passed on to the future. The revenue budget will be estimated conservatively, and the expenditure budget will focus on efficient distribution of limited financial resources. Second, we plan to allocate projects such as people’s welfare, economic revitalization, and people’s livelihood issues into the budget to resolve imbalances between regions and generations. We will review issues related to people’s livelihoods and ensure that urgent issues are quickly resolved within the framework of the law. Third, the review will take into account social and economic necessity and efficiency, such as job creation and support for small business owners. We will avoid creating one-time part-time jobs for show and focus on creating good, sustainable jobs. Fourth, we want to respect the results of the preliminary review of the budget plan by the 11 standing committees of the Seoul Metropolitan Council.”
Reporter Park Ji-hye wisdom99@donga.com
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