Taina Bofferding, leader of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) parliamentary group, did not mince words after Thursday’s RTL summer interview with Prime Minister Luc Frieden. Speaking as Friday morning’s guest on “Invité vun der Redaktioun,” Bofferding described the Prime Minister’s responses as vague and lacking in vision, particularly concerning the country’s pressing housing crisis. According to Bofferding, the government missed an opportunity to outline a clear future for Luxembourg, especially with regard to affordable housing.
She called for the government to shift into "crisis mode", develop a comprehensive master plan with experts, commit significant financial resources, and accelerate the pace of construction to ensure more homes are built in the coming years.
Bofferding acknowledged that, for years, including under LSAP’s own time in government, local authorities and property owners had been left largely to their own devices in the hope that more housing would be developed voluntarily. However, she said that such an approach was no longer sufficient. She emphasised the need for binding instruments to ensure construction on earmarked sites, referencing the sectoral housing plan as a vital tool for identifying where development should take place.
Drawing on her experience as former Minister for Home Affairs, Bofferding pointed to several binding projects she had championed, including property tax reform, a speculation tax on vacant land and homes, the so-called "ministerial remembrement", and the building land contract, which would have required land designated for construction to be built upon within a set timeframe. She admitted that these initiatives often met resistance and were heavily criticised by the Council of State, but stressed that she would now convene legal experts to address the legal complexities, even if, in her view, there is currently a lack of political will for such changes.
Another key issue discussed was the wage indexation mechanism, which adjusts salaries in line with inflation. While Bofferding welcomed Prime Minister Frieden’s stated intent not to alter this mechanism, she argued that growing inequalities should primarily be addressed through social and tax policy.
Bofferding reiterated LSAP’s support for tax individualisation, meaning a single tax class for all, but unlike the coalition majority of the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) and the Democratic Party (DP), LSAP wants to address existing injustices within the system. She criticised the government’s draft tax reform, proposed by Minister of Finance Gilles Roth, for including relief for gross annual salaries up to €300,000, recalling that Roth had previously supported raising the top tax rate while in opposition.
When asked about LSAP’s own record in government, such as the abolition of the wealth tax and the failure to significantly increase the top tax rate, Bofferding pointed to her previous attempts as Minister for Home Affairs to tax property and speculation more effectively, though she acknowledged those efforts ultimately fell short.
Yet another ticket giveaway, this time for Lenny Kravitz. Lots of love in the studio for the 'Kinnikswes Loves' festival for the weekend and a visit to the studio of Riverflow, who are doing great things!
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