Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young: "Active Role from Interior Ministry Needed to Advance Fiscal Decentralization"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, who chairs the National Association of Mayors and Governors, joined the four major local government associations and the Ministry of Interior and Safety in sharing achievements in autonomous decentralization and fiscal decentralization, while pledging continued cooperation to realize local decentralization.

The National Association of Mayors and Governors (Chairman Yeom Tae-young, Suwon Mayor), the Association of Korean Provincial Governors (Chairman Kwon Young-jin, Daegu Mayor), the Council of Provincial Assembly Chairpersons (Chairman Shin Won-chul, Seoul Metropolitan Assembly Chairman), the Council of Municipal and District Assembly Chairpersons (Chairman Kang Phil-gu, Yeongwang County Assembly Chairman of Jeollanam-do), and the Ministry of Interior and Safety (Minister Jin Young) held a New Year's meeting on the 14th at the Gwanghwamun Hall of the Government Seoul Office cafeteria. Kim Soon-eun, Chairman of the Decentralization Commission, and Kang Ki-jeong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs from the Blue House, also attended.

At the meeting, achievements in local decentralization were shared, including the amendment of seven fiscal decentralization-related laws regarding the increase in the local consumption tax rate at the end of last year, and the Local Transfer Act passing through the National Assembly on the 9th to take effect next year.

The participants also pledged efforts and mutual cooperation for the passage of major legislative bills, including the comprehensive revision bill of the Local Autonomy Act, to support the expansion of local autonomy.

Representing all 226 basic local government units nationwide, Yeom Tae-young, Chairman of the National Association of Mayors and Governors, emphasized the partnership with the Ministry of Interior and Safety to realize substantive local autonomy this year.

Chairman Yeom stated, "Unless decentralization becomes centered on basic local governments, local governments will face further hardship," and emphasized, "Simply delegating tasks that must be performed to local governments without transferring authority and financial resources is a reason why local governments cannot escape being branch offices of the central government."

Chairman Yeom said, "For the second phase of fiscal decentralization, an active role from the Ministry of Interior and Safety is necessary so that basic local governments are given more consideration and the process proceeds smoothly," and added, "I urge cooperation in the social welfare grand compromise in which the National Association is working to establish a sustainable welfare system through burden-sharing of welfare roles among the central, provincial, and basic governments."

Meanwhile, during his New Year press conference this morning, President Moon Jae-in responded to questions about the evaluation and direction of local decentralization by emphasizing the strengthening of fiscal decentralization, the core of local decentralization, demonstrating his will to increase the proportion of local taxes going forward.