Ecolo is waiting for a new draft of the tax reform bill, Deputy Prime Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) said on Sunday on his return from talks with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) and Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V).
"We expect the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister to put a new proposal on the table that is likely to bring the seven parties together," said Gilkinet during an interview on the Namur-based TV programme "C'est pas tous les jours dimanche" (RTL TVi).
Late on Saturday, the Federal Government ended its multilateral negotiations devoted to tax reform that had begun the previous day. Discussions are now continuing in the form of bilateral talks. Several sources spoke of the need to "unblock" the situation. Others are more cautious and believe that it is too early to talk of a deadlock.
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The deadline for an agreement between the seven parties in the Vivaldi federal coalition government is 21 July, when parliament is set to go on holiday.
"I continue to believe that we will get there even if, as a member of Ecolo, I will not accept proposals that do not make sense: raising the price of bread through VAT is not our model. Ministers and the bosses of big companies don't need new tax breaks. If the measures are targeted, they will be more effective and less costly, and will be likely to increase employment," Gilkinet said.
The differences between the partners run deep. Some comments heard on Saturday suggest that they remain so.
"I hope that everyone will be of goodwill. Sometimes I doubt it," he concluded.
