SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Dec. 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The general budgets of the Autonomous Community for 2022, the third accounts carried out by the quadripartite and amounting to 9,098 million euros, constitute a “key instrument for the institutional, political and economic security” of the archipelago, as the president explained this Thursday Canarian, Ángel Víctor Torres, at the same time as the Vice President and Minister of Finance, Budgets and European Affairs, Román Rodríguez, explained that they are possible due to the adequate defense of Canarian interests before Madrid and Brussels.
Torres and Rodríguez carried out an analysis of the approval – this Tuesday night – of the regional accounts for next year by Parliament and highlighted the importance of the Canary Islands being able to release budgets on January 1 and, especially, that these contribute to the consolidation of the welfare state and economic recovery.
The president assured that the preparation of a budget law is never easy and thanked the parliamentary support of the groups that support the Government, as well as the abstention of Citizens, “which will allow us to face the challenges of this next year with greater security.”
Torres highlighted the increases experienced by items linked to the welfare state, such as education, health and social rights, and the growth of others linked to the ecological transition or digital transformation.
For his part, Rodríguez described the approval of the budgets as “good news” for society, the economy and institutional stability in the Canary Islands and pointed out the “prudence” that defines them.
In this regard, the vice president alluded to the uncertainties generated by the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic and indicated that this circumstance has been taken into account when preparing budgets.
The accounts include a realistic income forecast, “as we have done in the two previous budgets,” said Rodríguez, who indicated that the resources that will arrive from other administrations will surely be higher than those assigned.
In this regard, he specified that 83 percent of the income comes from transfers from the Spanish and European administrations, so they are absolutely guaranteed.
The remaining 17%, which make up their own tax revenues, the vice president trusted that they will be collected, “as happened in 2020 and will happen in 2021.”
In any case, Rodríguez insisted that the accounts and their expansive nature are possible due to the adequate defense of the interests of the islands before the central government and the European Commission, something that has also happened this year, for example with the authorization of the 1,144 million euros in direct aid.
However, if the evolution of the pandemic causes greater damage to the economy, the Autonomous Community will be able to resort to the debt route, as it enjoys an excellent financial condition, the vice president reiterated.
THE FIGURES, IN DETAIL
The general budgets of the Autonomous Community for 2022 amount to 9,098,311,647 euros of non-financial expenditure (chapters 1 to 7), 624 million euros more than this year, which represents a growth of 7.37%.
Three out of every four euros of the budgets will go to essential public services, which translates into an overall amount of 6,832.3 million euros. This amount is 7.49% more than that recorded this year.
The most important increases in absolute terms in this section correspond to the Canary Islands Health Service, with 160.6 million more, for a total of 3,461 million; Education, Universities, Culture and Sports, with 158 million more, for a total of 2,137 million; and Social Rights, Equality, Diversity and Youth, which increased its items by 70 million euros, to stand at 580.3 million euros.
In relative terms, the highest growth is registered in the Department of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning, with a 34.3% increase, bringing its budget to 207.8 million; Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing increased 23.6%, to stand at 129 million euros, and the Canarian Employment Service grew 20.3 percent, for global accounts of 332.8 million euros.
Public investments – real investments and capital transfers – registered a significant boost and stood at 1,382 million euros –199.3 million more than this year–, which represents an increase of 16.8%, more than double what the Budget grows globally.
Equally noteworthy is the growth in support items for economic sectors, which reached 383.1 million euros -85 million more than in 2021-, a 28.5% increase.
In addition, budgets grow without touching taxes and reducing the payment of interest on the debt, they pointed out.
The accounts also reserve 100 million euros, an expandable item, to attend the volcanic emergency and the recovery tasks of La Palma.
