SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Nov. 29. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The vice president and counselor of Economy, Industry, Commerce and the Self-Employed of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Domínguez, stated this Wednesday in a parliamentary appearance that one of the main challenges of the Ministry will be to convert the Canary Islands commercial areas into intelligent commercial destinations.
To this end, he pointed to “innovation and digitalization of the business fabric as an essential tool for the development of a robust, modern and competitive commercial sector.”
During his speech, Manuel Domínguez made a diagnosis of the sector in the Archipelago and, although he valued the good sales figures of the business during the last two years, he recognized that “we should not get too excited.” In this sense, he mentioned the plans and programs that the Ministry will develop next year to further strengthen a sector that, he said, “goes hand in hand with tourism.”
The counselor also recognized that consumer purchasing habits have changed, shifting towards online commerce and, therefore, he advanced the need for businesses, especially SMEs, to adapt to these new formulas through programs, such as, for example, ‘Canary Islands intelligent commercial destination’, whose bases were published last October and whose call expects to be released at the beginning of 2024, with a budget that amounts to 4 million.
Along with these measures, Manuel Domínguez cited the development, revitalization and improvement programs of traditional open spaces. “We are working on making a master plan, in coordination with the councils, to carry out these actions to improve infrastructure in these areas.”
In addition, he cited consumer vouchers as one of the tools most accepted by consumers and, to this end, announced the launch of an edition for businesses and the restaurant sector in the areas affected by the fire last August. in Tenerife. The idea is that these bonds can be marketed shortly, as well as others, which are still being studied, to face the January slope throughout the Canary Islands at the beginning of next year.
SUBMERGED ECONOMY
During the parliamentary committee, the vice president also referred to the reduction of the tax burden and bureaucratic obstacles as clear measures to reduce the underground economy. In response to a question from the Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista parliamentary group, Domínguez made it clear that the underground economy “is the greatest scourge that any economic system can suffer.”
For this reason, he indicated that the Government will work in three directions to reduce this activity in the Archipelago: reduce bureaucratic obstacles and excess regulation, reduce the tax pressure on companies and promote the digitalization and digital transformation of companies. “If we reduce the tax burden, we will not only be able to increase revenue, but the tax pressure will be redistributed among everyone so that it does not fall only on those who do comply.”
INDUSTRIAL-BASED NURSES
During the parliamentary commission, the vice president alluded to the situation of the islands’ business fabric, mostly SMEs, and their difficulties both in lasting over time and in accessing financing and going abroad. In this sense, he mentioned the Ministry’s commitment to companies’ digitalization and industrial innovation programs and advocated giving greater prominence to Sodecan so that the business community can access financing.
In relation to the smaller islands, finally, Domínguez also announced the creation of industrial-based nurseries in non-capital islands, an aspect for which the Government is already looking for spaces in industrial estates.
