Regarding the planned reform of the property tax, Bofferding stated that the government wants to tax land according to its current value, and not “according to its 1941 value, which is not fair”.
A national tax on speculation is also to be introduced, seeing as only three municipalities currently levy a tax on vacant land and housing. This situation, according to the Minister, causes some legal tensions. The data collected for the property tax reform will be used to prepare the ground for a future speculation tax and to mobilise more land and property.
Bofferding expressed her confidence regarding the issue, stressing that after years of political inactivity in the field of housing, the government is now finding solutions.
Deputy Prime Minister and Bofferding’s party colleague Dan Kersch suggested the introduction of a “coronavirus tax” – a proposal which is still on the table. The debts accumulated in recent months should not be passed on to future generations, Bofferding explained, and when the crisis is over, companies that have taken advantage of the pandemic to boost their profits can contribute to the repayment by paying additional taxes for a limited amount of time.
When asked about her thoughts as Minister of Equality between Women and Men regarding Prime Minister Xavier Bettel’s habit of frequenting strip clubs, Bofferding replied that she does not know, where the Prime Minister goes in the evenings, but stressed that “you will not see me in a strip club”.
The Minister also clarified that the possibility that Bettel was infected during a night out was not the reason why the government decided to bar self-tests after midnight.
Instead, Bofferding referred to the same explanation given by Minister of Health Paulette Lenert, namely that self-tests are “the weakest link” in prevention and that it was necessary to act accordingly. The alternative would have been to close all nightlife businesses.
Talking about the reform of the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), the Minister stated that she is “not fighting with all 102 municipalities”, but that mainly those led by mayors from the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) are “not happy” with her work.
Bofferding said that she cannot understand the criticism that the costs will increase for municipalities in the future, pointing out that the goal of the emergency services being able to reach the site of an accident in under 15 minutes, no matter where it occurs in the country, is simply not attainable at no extra cost.
The Minister described the criticism as “naïve and an insult to CGDIS”. The goal is “to save lives” and the project would only account for around 1% of the municipalities’ total budget, she pointed out.
As for the voluntary fire fighters who no longer passed their medical check following the reorganisation of the emergency services, Bofferding ensured that they are “not excluded from the CGDIS”. The Minister stressed the importance of volunteers and explained that they could still take over other charges if they can no longer be deployed for certain activities.
