National Liberal Party (PNL) First Vice President Catalin Predoiu claims that the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) government platform 2017-2020 looks like “the Star Wars film series,” having in common the fact that “they are both Sci-Fi.”
“PSD’s Government Platform 2017-2020 and the Star Wars film series have something in common: they are both Sci-Fi. The difference is that the Star Wars film series had a cost of just 650 million Dollars, generating approximately 6.4 billion Dollars in revenue, 10 times as much, while the measures included in PSD’s economic platform cost 20 billion Euros, generating a deficit of 6.3 billion Euros (2.8 percent of GDP),” reads a communique issued by Catalin Predoiu, coordinator of PNL’s government platform, and quoted by Agerpres.
He says PSD is using “a double trick” in its calculations.
“First of all, it claims it will hike budget revenues by approximately 6 percent of GDP in 2020 compared to 2016, adding to that revenues of 3.7 percent of GDP estimated by the National Prognosis Commission, apart from the measures included in the PSD platform. The result is a budget revenues hike of 9.7 percent of GDP (the 6 percent claimed by the PSD Platform and the 3.7 percent estimated by the National Prognosis Commission). What the PSD platform does not mention is the existence of expenditures related to the revenues estimated by the National Prognosis Commission, which the PSD platform no longer took into account. And if we take into account only the budget revenue growth claimed by the PSD platform (6 percent of GDP) and the expenditures related to them, indicated precisely by PSD’s platform (estimated at 8 percent of GDP), the result is that the planned measures included in the PSD platform generate a deficit of 2.8 percent of GDP,” Predoiu explains.
At the same time, the Liberal shows that when the PSD platform refers to the measures that would generate supplementary budget revenues, it invariably mentions “through multiplier effects,” without explaining what they are and what is the mathematical model used.
“In other words, made-up figures,” Predoiu declared.
In his opinion, the PSD platform is “unrealistic” and “excels solely in terms of packaging and presentation.”
“Which is a PSD constant: a governance that undermines the economy, presented as a governance that enriches Romanians, on paper. Once more, it is proven that apart from organisation and propaganda, lying is a main element of continuity from PCR [Romanian Communist Party] to PSD,” Predoiu added.
According to the Liberal leader, four main issues should garner the attention of a future Government in the next two years: the expressway program; order and investment in healthcare and education; administrative reform; cutting the red tape that blocks the development of entrepreneurs.
