Defmin late with suggestion to extend banks' solidarity tax – Blinkevičiūtė

Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, leader of the Social Democratic Party, believes that National Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas is late with his suggestion to extend the bank solidarity levy. According to her, both the Social Democrats and the presidency had previously suggested a longer period for applying the tax.

“The national defence minister said this only now, it is already too late. We (the Social Democrats – ELTA) proposed this long before. We also took this decision at our council meeting, assessing the current situation, the need for funds to meet our defence and the huge profits of banks, which reached EUR 1 billion last year,” Blinkevičiūtė told Žinių radijas on Friday.

“President Nausėda has also said the same thing – the bank solidarity levy should indeed be extended. And I think it will be done,” she added.