[사설] ‘새로운 길’ 미래대응기금, 국회에서 면밀히 점검하길

Last Monday, the government unveiled plans for a "future response fund" to address issues like "additional revenues" stemming from the recent semiconductor boom. While the exact fund size remains undisclosed, predictions suggest it could reach over 150 trillion won in the first year. As a new form of "galactic fund" is being created, the National Assembly must thoroughly scrutinize its resources, allocation, and operational methods.

The semiconductor industry's astronomical profits are expected to raise corporation taxes by 2-3 times this year, prompting discussions on how to best utilize these funds. The government's conclusion is to create the fund and allocate it to designated areas, instead of using government debt or one-off expenditures. The fund's resources consist of surplus revenues, over-collected taxes, and surplus funds from education reforms.

These areas of use include young people, growth potential, regional development, and education and talent. All are sectors that require strong government support. However, the absence of a mechanism to address AI-induced employment shocks or polarization is disheartening. Since the fund's primary resources come from semiconductor booms due to AI expansion, part of the resources should be allocated to mitigate resulting social and economic harms.

The fund's characteristics may also lead to concerns about its oversight by the National Assembly. The fund's budget proposal must be submitted to the National Assembly for review and approval, but changes during execution can be made with less than 20% of the allocated amount without consent, unlike regular budgets. This could be perceived as bypassing the National Assembly or "government padding."

Although this may be overly critical, it does provide some flexibility for the government to better reflect its will. The future response fund differs from other funds as it has diverse sources and less transparent management. While the "unknown path" analogy applies, it is hoped that the National Assembly can thoroughly review and modify any shortcomings in the fund.