The Government will approve this Tuesday the third package of measures to deal with the effects of the war in Ukraine that “reformulates& rdquor; the previous one to “adapt it to the context of current inflation & rdquor; and which has the objective of protect “vulnerable groups & rdquor ;, according to a draft of the text to which this newspaper has had access. It is expected that it will be the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who will appear after the last meeting of the ministers before the end of the year to take stock of the course and announce the measures, among which is included a shielding of the fuel discount for sectors most affected such as transport and the primary sector.
A few hours before its approval, the coalition parties are negotiating the last fringes of this document, such as the extension of rental contracts and the freezing of variable mortgages demanded by United We Can. Both parties are closer in relation to the measures to alleviate the rise in the shopping basket, which could include a 300-euro check for vulnerable families, they hope to reach an agreement, reports john ruiz. This measure is not included in the aforementioned draft, but its explanatory statement explains that the price increase “is especially relevant in food, with basic necessities, such as flour, butter or sugar, which have experienced increases of close to 40%. % year-on-year”. Another option that is being considered is to switch to super-reduced VAT on some foods that are currently at 10%, such as fish. In the superreducido there are already bread, milk, eggs, cheese, fruit or legumes.
There is also no trace of the general discount of 20 cents per liter of fuel that ends on December 31However, a series of direct aids are made explicit aimed at alleviating the rise in fuels by sectors in the primary sector and transport. In turn, the text to which this newspaper has had access includes the tax reduction of the electricity and gas bill until June 30 (0.5% of the special tax on electricity and 5% of VAT and the suspension of the tax on electricity production, as well as the reduction to 4% of VAT on masks).
Regarding the fuel discount, the aforementioned draft incorporates an “extraordinary and temporary” aid. of 20 cents per liter between January 1 and March 31, 2023, which will evolve to 10 cents per liter between April 1 and June 30, to “defend& rdquor; the price of fuel for road transport companies “with the right to a partial refund of the Tax on Hydrocarbons for professional diesel& rdquor ;. This aid will be conditional on the payment of fuel through professional diesel cards and will be made by bank transfer once the Tax Agency or the Foral Administration (in the case of the Basque Country and Navarra) calculate the amount of the aid. at the end of each month.
The transports that are not entitled to a partial refund of the Hydrocarbons Tax – that is, taxis, urban buses, road freight transport, moving services, medical transport and land and suburban passenger transport— may benefit from direct aid depending on the type of vehicle ranging from 3,600 euros to 300 euros. This subsidy must be requested by potential beneficiaries between February 1 and March 23 of next year to receive it via bank transfer as of February 28, 2023.
The agricultural sector will also receive a direct subsidy to cover the additional costs due to the increase in the price of agricultural diesel up to a maximum of 20 cents per liter, taking 2022 consumption as a reference. “because it is the last year with closed and certain data, although it is intended to subsidize these activities in 2023 & rdquor;. In addition, the Government will open a line of State aid for farmers, due to the increase in costs due to the increase in the price of fertilizers, endowed with a maximum of 300 million euros from the General State Budget of 2023.
The fishing sector will be granted direct aid based on the estimated diesel consumption of the vessel, which will range from 1,100 euros to 300,000 euros, depending on the type and size of the vessel, charged to the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food up to a total of 120 million euros. In addition, a six-month exemption from the fresh catch port tax is established in the event that fresh catch enters the port by sea.
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To these aids, others will have to be added to cover the gas-intensive industry and, especially, ceramic manufacturers, as Pedro Sánchez himself announced a few weeks ago, within the European Union Aid Framework. In addition, the draft of the royal decree-law incorporates the extension of the 80% reduction in tolls for the electro-intensive industry until June 30, 2023, as well as the extension of the exemptions from payment of underground storage fees and the price limitation. maximum of liquefied petroleum gases, such as butane, up to the same date.
On the other hand, a mechanism is created to prevent motorway tolls from rising with inflation (8.4%) and aid to maintain the stability of the prices of maritime transport operators on lines of public interest, especially important for the Balearic and Canary Islands and for Ceuta and Melilla. The free Renfe subscription for Cercanías, Rodalíes and Media Distancia (between Ourense and Coruña and Madrid and Salamanca) is extended with effect “for each quarter of 2023& rdquor ;, as well as the multi-trip title of 50% in the rest of the Media Distancia services between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023. And the free long-distance buses of state competition between January 1 and June 30, 2023 with the condition of making 12 trips in the first quarter and, at least, 16 four-month trips between May 1 and December 31 of the coming year for an amount of 60 million euros charged to the Ministry of Transport.