SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Nov. 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coalition supporting the Government of the Canary Islands (CC, PP, ASG, and AHI) has reinforced its majority in the regional Parliament to reject the three amendments to the entirety submitted by the Socialist Party, Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista, and Vox regarding the General Budget Law for the Autonomous Community for 2025, allowing the process to progress.
The Minister of Treasury, Matilde Asián, responsible for presenting the budget in the initial debate, underscored that these financial plans were devised based on five principles: sustainability, aimed at ensuring long-term well-being particularly for the most vulnerable; “absolute” adherence to fiscal regulations; prudence, given the lack of General State Budgets for the second consecutive year; prioritisation of social expenditure, including housing; and genuine financial expenditure.
Matilde Asián clarified that these budgets counter the “idealised vision” proposed by the opposition parties, intending to eliminate any “confusion” among citizens, and express a fiscal strategy that is progressive, equitable, and adequate, adhering to the Constitution, rather than simply “always raising taxes” regardless of revenue, as suggested by other parties. In this context, she reiterated that the Government will persist in reducing taxes as long as collections are adequate and the legal frameworks governing fiscal rules permit it.
A “DECEPTION” FOR THE ELECTORATE.
Vox deputy Jesús Nieto condemned that these budgets are “repetitive” and persist with the same strategies as those established by the Flower Pact. “This is not a moment to replicate old strategies for identical outcomes,” stated the parliamentarian, encouraging the Government of the Canary Islands to be “bold” and “create something new, something different,” since “the figures change but not the policies,” he stressed.
Jesús Nieto remarked that these financial plans indicate “an antiquated approach to expenditure” and emphasised that it is necessary to “activate the lights and contemplate the future.” Furthermore, he bemoaned the incessant references to the 2030 Agenda, as the Canary Islands “are weary from wasting hours of work and life in traffic congestion that leads to multimillion-euro losses,” and to uncertainty, as “we are conveying a message of fear to citizens.”
Additionally, the deputy argued that these budgets represent a “betrayal” to the supporters of CC and PP, as they again fail to honour the commitment made during the electoral campaign to decrease the IGIC from 7% to 5%, and superfluous expenditure in the Administration remains unaddressed. “It is a genuine deception and an affront to the populace,” Nieto added.
A “DISRESPECT”.
The NC-bc spokesperson, Luis Campos, commenced his address by expressing disappointment over the absence of the Canary Islands president, Fernando Clavijo, and half of the Executive, despite the “most significant law of the year” being under deliberation, and deemed it a “disrespect” that for the first time, the Minister of Finance has not acknowledged the amendments individually.
Luis Campos conceded that while these might not be the worst budgets in history — “that title belongs to last year’s” — he asserted that they perpetuate and exacerbate inequality and once again fail to deliver on their primary electoral promise and that of the government pact. For the second consecutive year, not only is the IGIC not decreased to 5%, but tax pressure on the lowest earners in the Canary Islands is increased, while it is reduced for the wealthiest.
Campos also highlighted that these budgets “undermine” public services and investments to such a degree that “we are at risk of continuing for several more years to lead the real decapitalisation of the public system in the Canary Islands”; a budget that, he added, lacks “any measure” to diversify the economy of the islands, and is marked by the “Ayuso model,” where it is “every individual for themselves and favours those who possess the most.”
He even asserted that this bill exhibits signs of unconstitutionality in certain provisions, by changing regulations such as the Land Law, the Law of Councils, or the Law of the Advisory Council inappropriately through the budget.
“PURE RIGHT-WING IDEOLOGY”.
The spokesperson for the Socialist Parliamentary Group, Sebastián Franquis, stressed that these budgets “institutionalise” the cuts made in 2024 and “deepen” the existing inequalities within the autonomous community, tightening the screws on essential public services such as education, healthcare, or social rights.
Sebastián Franquis found the expression of “pessimism” in the economic assessment of the budgets to be “unjustifiable,” particularly when “all projections from international and national organisations suggest that the forecasts for next year are far more optimistic than those contained in these budgets,” which are merely “pure right-wing ideology.”
Similar to Luis Campos, the socialist deputy also reproached the minister for breaking a parliamentary tradition by failing to address each amendment individually, and illustrated her “image of utter isolation” by noting the absence of both President Fernando Clavijo and many government members.
Franquis stressed that there have only been one or two councillors who concurred with these assumptions while others “have been expressing exactly the opposite,” concluding that the only inference that can be made from these budgets is that in the Canary Islands “the rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer”; they represent “a theft from the pockets of the Canary Islanders” and “turn their backs” on those in need.
A “FOURTH” AMENDMENT.
From the non-amending groups, the spokesperson for the Mixed Group, Raúl Acosta (AHI), emphasised that these budgets “protect” vital public services and maintain continuity in terms of personnel efforts, and queried whether these accounts were “neoliberal, those of Ayuso or Trump,” and whose policies the opposition supports “were they those of Milei?” In this context, he rejected any notion of dismantling public services, blaming the opposition’s rhetoric, which he said is “not credible” due to its exaggeration, adding that the amendments to the entirety are merely amendments to “a quarter” of the budgets, which “are unrelated to public services.”
Representative Melodie Mendoza, of the ASG Parliamentary Group, conceded that while these accounts could be enhanced they should not be dismissed. She stated that priorities remain unchanged, focusing on guaranteeing essential services, and while the opposition argues that they are regressive budgets, the deputy highlighted that they are increasing by 376 million euros. She acknowledged a desire for a “much more ambitious” budget but clarified that the central issue is “efficient and effective” management.
Lastly, Luz Reverón, of the Popular Party, claimed that the proposals put forth by PSOE, NC-bc, and Vox “appear to be plucked from a fantasy realm, detached from economic realities and the challenges of budget formulation,” with José Miguel Barragán from the Canary Nationalist Group reinforcing that these accounts allocate 7 out of every 10 euros to ensure fundamental policies; a budget that continues its dedication to the recovery of La Palma, prioritising investments and tax benefits in housing while addressing the five declared emergencies with clear goals for economic revitalisation.
