Lithuania: Economy Minister rejects new taxes for defence

Lithuania’s Economy Minister, Ausrine Armonaite, rejected the idea of introducing new taxes to fund increased defence spending, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Armonaite insisted that additional money for defence should come from borrowed funds or through economic growth instead. Also, the government should use unused funds of state institutions, she said. The minister noted that the government had already raised the corporate tax, excise duties, and other taxes, and that the economy was growing. Armonaite is chairperson of the liberal Freedom Party, which is junior partner in the current coalition government.