Namyangju Mayor Choi Hyun-deok proposes five major issues, including welfare and transportation, at the National Assembly

(Namyangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-yoon = Choi Hyun-deok, mayor of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, met with Policy Committee Chairman Kwon Chil-seung of the Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly on the 7th and proposed five major issues, including welfare and transportation.

The proposal includes conversion of long-term care for the elderly, home care and facility benefits to national affairs, reflection of the 5th national railway network construction plan and metropolitan area transportation implementation plan, etc.

If a current medical benefit recipient is converted to a long-term care benefit recipient, the local government will bear the related costs.

Mayor Choi said, "Local governments' financial share of long-term care home/facility benefits for the elderly is large," and suggested, "The current structure should be improved and converted to a national office, or government support should be expanded."

In addition, in order to respond to the transportation demand resulting from large-scale residential development, we requested support to ensure that the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit (GTX) new line connecting Namyangju and the subway lines 3, 6, and 8 extension projects are reflected in the national plan.

Anyang Mayor Choi Dae-ho, head of the Gyeonggi Province Mayors' County Management Council, was present at the meeting on this day to discuss concerns about a large-scale reduction in ordinary grant taxes due to the government's establishment of the 'Future Response Fund' and ways to increase local fiscal autonomy.

Some are concerned that if the increase in domestic taxes is transferred to the fund as per next year's government budget, the grant tax will fall sharply compared to the original estimate, which will reduce the finances of local governments.

Mayor Choi said, “The rapidly increasing demand for welfare and the expansion of large-scale transportation infrastructure are difficult tasks to handle with only the limited financial resources of basic local governments,” and added, “If the grant tax is reduced due to the establishment of a new future response fund, the financial burden will inevitably increase.”