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Max von Kreyfelt stated in his column that the government should first cut its own spending before asking citizens to be frugal. He cited the renovation of the Binnenhof as an example: it was estimated in 2015 to cost 475 million euros, but according to him, the costs had risen to at least 2.7 billion euros by 2026. He wrote that the Court of Audit had called the original estimate unrealistically low. Von Kreyfelt urged ministries to demonstrate what their expenditures yielded. He mentioned European contributions, nitrogen policy, climate programs, migration, and development aid, and asked what problem was being solved, at what cost, and when funding would stop. He also suggested that it should first be demonstrated at 2.5 percent of GDP what Defense could purchase, organize, and staff. According to him, the NATO agreement for 2035 required 5 percent: at least 3.5 percent for defense and a maximum of 1.5 percent for broader security. He wrote that Donald Trump had requested 5 percent. The columnist also criticized the use of consultants and administrative layers. According to him, budget deficits could arise from overly ambitious promises, poor estimates, and too few cuts, and these did not prove that citizens were paying too little. He concluded that the government needed to shrink first. https://t.co/V2P6pFuNy1 #Overheid #Financiën #Soberheid (translated)

During the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Bangkok, political division arose among member states regarding Russia, artificial intelligence, and climate change, leading to the departure of European countries during the speech of the Russian Minister of Finance, while the United States received no support for the term 'super intelligence' in the closing statement. #IMF #Rusland #Klimaatverandering (translated)

The author wrote that an interview with Sammy Mahdi in HLN revealed that there was a plan of 10 billion on the table without an increase in VAT, in which the strongest shoulders would contribute more. The author asked Vooruit and CD&V why that plan was dismissed. #politiek #België #financiën #BE (translated)

Fleur Agema asked if the tax deduction for chronically ill patients, worth 0.3 billion euros, was the only problem in the healthcare budget. She wrote that the previous cabinet had invested a net 3 billion euros in healthcare, while the current cabinet is cutting a net 10 billion euros. https://t.co/WqftZeK8pd #zorg #politiek #financiën (translated)

When new walls arise in the world, you must build bridges over them. It gets more than 50 percent of its oil from the Middle East, but is now forced to import it from West Africa and Latin America, said Thai Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas during a panel discussion. #IMF #economie #weerbaarheid (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde wrote that governments transformed budget figures into a communication plan. According to him, the Flemish budget was not balanced: he pointed to a deficit of 1 billion euros for the coming year and deficits of 3 to 4 billion euros in previous years. He stated that the debt had tripled and would continue to rise in the coming years, but it was not yet known by how much. However, according to him, interest expenses would increase by 400 million euros, a rise of 23% in one year. Additionally, a subordinated loan of 1.65 billion euros had been pushed to 2035; the interest on that operation would amount to more than 1 billion euros. He contrasted those figures with the message that the accounts were "in order." #VlaamseBegroting #Financiën #Schuld (translated)

Prime Minister Jetten calls a new European budget proposal completely unacceptable, and Chancellor Merz declares the plans truly unaffordable, while Maarten and Marike discuss the complex finances of the EU and the challenges of agreeing on a new budget in their podcast. #EuropeseUnie #Begroting #Economie (translated)

We know that there is manipulation through certain funds. During a speech at the Congress of the Turkish Capital Markets Association, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said, "We know that there is manipulation through certain funds." #Turkije #beleggingsfondsen #koersmanipulatie (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde stated that the message that the Flemish government finances were in order was often taken over without checking the figures. He indicated that the budget deficit was 1 billion euros, the debt had tripled, and would continue to rise in the coming years. He also pointed to a subordinated loan of 1.65 billion euros that had been pushed to 2035; the interest costs of that operation would amount to more than 1 billion euros according to him. Additionally, Vande Reyde mentioned deficits of 3.6 billion euros in 2026, 4.5 billion euros in 2025, and 4 billion euros in 2024. He referred to Ben Weyts, who according to him had said that the people's money had been squandered. #VlaamseRekeningen #BegrotingTekort #Financiën (translated)

Bert Slagter wrote that he saw the 36% rate as the biggest problem of box 3. According to him, that levy was not comparable to income tax, because the return partly compensated for the loss of purchasing power due to inflation. With a return of 8% and inflation of 3%, the tax effectively resulted in 58% of the real return, which he found much too high. https://t.co/h4yfrUgWQa #belasting #inflatie #financiën (translated)

Arno Wellens wrote that the unrest in the financial markets was increasing and warned that governments, according to him, would soon and significantly cut back, including on social services. He stated that there was no other way out. https://t.co/9mcGWOgNkC #financiën #economie #markten (translated)