But one thing is what is desirable and the other is what is possible, and precisely for this reason the ‘president’ Pere Aragones keeps the socialists in reserve. The head of Economy has admitted in an interview with Catalunya Ràdio that she will inevitably “technical extension of a few weeks” and all the actors at stake place the next 15 days as key, taking into account that the forecast is for the Executive Council to approve the budgets at early december. Basically to try to sort out how long that hiatus will be before we have new accounts in place.
Both the socialists and the ‘communs’ want a sealed agreement before the budgets land in Parliament, especially considering that if they do not agree before the end of the year they will end up trapped in the web of the pre-election climate. It is with those of Jessica Albiach with whom the ‘councilor’ Mas assures that the talks are “more advanced”while the Socialists frown and demand that, beyond words, they be provided with concrete figures to see what negotiating margin there is.
2 billion already committed
The spending ceiling for next year exceeds the figures for 2022 by 3,000 million, which represents an increase of 10%. But the Government already considers the order of 2,000 million committed. Thus, the amount of give and take for the agreement narrows. They have met with the ‘communs’ at least twice -more he says three- and this Friday the third exchange will take place, the same day that the second meeting with Junts.
The ex-partners, who maintain the role of opposition without concessions, suspect that the Government seeks agree first with the ‘communs’, As it already did with the 2022 accounts, and the Socialists left the second discussion this Thursday disappointed, the spokesperson said, Alicia Romero, because we haven’t gone into details yet and everything is going “slow”. The socialists warn that words are of little use if they are not accompanied by facts.
Aware that, now, the time trial begins, En Comú Podem has staged its pulse, making it clear that it will not be cheap and that its demands seek scare away Junts of the sum to approve them. In fact, they point to the heart of the folder with the most antagonistic interests: the taxation. If the post-convergents want the reduction of personal income tax, the ‘communs’ claim to increase it for the high rents, as well as upload the patrimony or the empty flats. On the table Albiach has put many other requests that require a significant outlay: 5,000 social rental homes, recovery of the sixth hour in public schools, 1,000 million for the social shield and 25% of the Salut budget for primary care.
The fragile folder of taxation
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From the outset, the ‘councillor’ has admitted, the Government is not in favor of make changes in the tax folder, beyond that of cruises that was agreed last year and other environmental ones already planned. He has recalled that this was the intention and has argued that deflating the regional income tax rate, as Junts would like, would mean a impact of just three euros for 30% for lower-income taxpayers and 24 euros for higher-income taxpayers. For the Generalitat, he explained, it would mean 55 million, that is, 15% of the Health budget.
Mas has criticized, therefore, the measures that “look for headlines”, which represents a high cost for the Generalitat and a very limited impact on an individual basis. On the other hand, it has not closed the door to upward fiscal adjustments posed by the ‘communs’, although it has left everything at the mercy of the evolution of the negotiation. “There are proposals that are a lot of headlines and little impact“, Romero has dropped, exhibiting a certain harmony in this area with the ‘councillor’. However, the Socialists continue without revealing their demands under the philosophy that they want advance payments from a Government that Illa points out that “he’s not trustworthy”. The second domino will fall in a week, when ERC approves the budgets of Pedro Sanchez.