PSOE and NC-BC support the measure if it is legally supported but warn that they will not join a “common front” against the Government
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, January 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of the Canary Islands presented this Wednesday to the parliamentary groups a proposal to modify the budget stability law so that the autonomous communities that are in financial balance and with low debt can use the surplus in essential services.
This is what the Minister of the Treasury, Matilde Asián, told journalists after a meeting with spokespersons for the groups in the company of the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, and the vice president, Manuel Domínguez.
The counselor has said that this proposal arises from a request from the Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, to the Canary Islands president given that right now, with the current law, the spending rule determines that although there is income in the autonomous community “it must allocate it to amortize debt”.
He has also pointed out that they propose to the Ministry that the ministerial order that develops the law change the GDP deflator since it has been “frozen” at 2% since 2012, as has been done in the EU, since that would give “more margin” to Canary Islands to allocate funds to the needs of the population.
Asián has pointed out that this legal modification is a “common interest for all” because if the limits set by the Constitution on economic and financial activity are met, “the logical thing” is that an autonomous community is not penalized.
Along these lines, he has indicated that many communities will be able to use the rule proposed by the Canary Islands in the coming years, while at the same time he has advanced that if the central government gives the green light to the proposal, the groups will be convened again to decide how to use the 238 million. of the surplus.
With data from the third quarter of this year, the debt of the Autonomous Community amounts to 13.2% of its GDP, almost nine points below the average of the communities (22.3%) and the archipelago is also the Spanish region with less debt per inhabitant with 3,070 euros per citizen compared to the 6,776 euros that the average for the communities amounts to.
The ASG spokesperson, Casimiro Curbelo, has said that “it would be meaningless” if the Canary Islands administrations could not make use of the savings deposited in banking entities to pay for essential public services, as well as projects that generate employment and wealth.
For this reason, he demanded, once again, that the singularities of the islands be taken into account and that the Government of Spain authorize this measure, “which is fair, necessary and appropriate” if what is wanted is to “revitalize the economy and improve life.” of the citizen”.
He clarified that, although those public administrations with debt could have a certain obligation regarding the use of resources to make these payments, “it would be feasible to make them compatible for other purposes.”
This approach was already agreed last December by the Canary Islands Federation (Fecai), during Curbelo’s current presidency.
THERE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE “IMPEDIMENTS” WHEN AN AMNESTY IS PROCESSED
Raúl Acosta (AHI) has highlighted that the Canary Islands “has made a very big sacrifice” to comply with the debt, which is why he supports the “common front” to request this flexibility and that economic resources can be allocated to public services.
Acosta does not understand the “impediments” of the Government when an organic law is modified “for an amnesty” or for other issues due to “opportunistic needs” so he sees the demand as “fair” to be able to have “powerful” public services.
The NC-BC spokesperson, Luis Campos, has commented that they agree “fundamentally” with the Government, among other issues because his party already opposed the spending rule approved in 2012 as it was “an unfair law that treated equal who complied with whom, not to the administrations that had a surplus with those that had an excessive deficit.”
Campos has shown discrepancies “in the form” to request the flexibility of the norm because it generates “doubts” that it is done through a modification of the budget and they propose “going further” and promoting a legislative change.
He has also proposed that the modification of the law
serves “fundamentally to improve public services” and not to lower taxes, as the Government has stated on some occasions.
Campos has also demanded that the modification of the budget stability law also be for municipalities and councils, “which are also deserving of this relaxation when they comply.”
The spokesperson for the Canarian party has valued the commitment to the “consensus” of the regional Executive that they are not going to join a “confrontation” against the Government of Spain that tries to convey that there is no political will.
VOX: DO NOT SPEND MORE THAN YOU INCOME
Nicasio Galván (Vox) has indicated that public administrations should behave “the same as how Spanish families behave, which is not spending more than what they earn, it is common sense.”
Regarding the forgiveness of the debt, he has criticized the agreement with “amnestied criminals, or that amnesty is intended” and thus “accepting the waste” of some autonomous communities, especially Catalonia, with “foreign embassies” and “independence fanaticism.” “.
“We will continue fighting so that there is no type of debt forgiveness,” he indicated, since “debts have to be paid and it is a very erroneous message” that is conveyed to families.
José Miguel Barragán, spokesperson for the Nationalist Group, has valued the search for “consensus” to establish a “common criterion” in the defense of the interests of the Canary Islands given that the spending criteria “are very much in conflict” with the spending rule.
In this way, he pointed out that it seems like a “good idea” that common and individual criteria can be combined and not as it was regulated before the health pandemic.
FRANQUIS: IT IS MORE A LEGAL ISSUE THAN A POLITICAL ISSUE
Sebastián Franquis, spokesperson for the Socialist Group, has valued the Government’s search for agreements but has made it clear that “they are not only needed when it is of interest to the Government of the Canary Islands, but when it is of interest to the entire Canarian society.”
He recalled that the budget stability law was approved under a PP Government and has to be executed and now he hopes that the Canary Islands Executive will have reports that support the modification of the law because it is “more of a legal matter at this time than a political issue.”
Franquis has highlighted that it is not the responsibility of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, but of the Cortes, and has indicated that the flexibility of the spending rule cannot serve as an “excuse” to lower taxes and these additional funds must be allocated to basic services.
Along these lines, they have claimed the exercise of “useful politics” and have made it clear that they will not join a “common front” if what they are trying to do is attack the central government, which “the only thing it is doing at the moment is obey the law”.
Luz Reverón, spokesperson for the PP, has highlighted the “transparency” of the Government for convening the parliamentary groups and has agreed with the Executive that the Canary Islands cannot be “treated the same” as the autonomous communities “that have not complied.”
He has said that it is not about going to a “confrontation” against the Government of Spain but rather about defending “the good of all the Canary Islands.”
