Pedro Sanchez He inaugurated the political course by attacking the management of the autonomous governments of the PP. The President of the Government presented his social policy against the model “outdated neoliberal” who represent the barons of Alberto Nuñez Feijoo and this, according to him, only leads to a “program contrary to the interests of the minority” because it gives priority to “goods” rather than to “rights”.
Sanchez’s criticism, in a speech supported by all his ministers, was directed in particular at the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayusowhich he accuses of lowering taxes “on the richest”, of benefiting “those at the top” and of reducing health and education spending. “The autonomous leaders of the opposition”, —This is how he spoke about the regional presidents of the PP—“They blame everything on the central government and say that we do not give them public resources. That is a lie,” Sánchez said.
During his speech, which lasted more than 25 minutes, he provided a series of data on health, education and taxes to criticize Ayuso’s management. Specifically, he made seven accusations on these issues. This newspaper contacted the team of the Madrid president, who responded one by one to Sánchez’s attacks to refute them, also with data.
1. The first thing that Sánchez reproached Ayuso for was the expense allocated to private health care. “Last year alone, 1 billion euros of public money was diverted to private healthcare in the Community of Madrid.”
According to Madrid, this information is “false”. “Not a single euro will be withdrawn from the more than 10 billion of public money allocated to public health.”
Ayuso’s team points out that “from the Health budget, the amount allocated to all hospitals amounts to 6.767 million euros and of this figure, more than 900 million are allocated to hospitals managed indirectly, that is, with the participation of the private sector.
“Private concerts in the Community of Madrid represent only 11% compared to, for example, more than 23% in Catalonia,” they insist. “In the Community of Madridof the 45 hospitals in Madrid Health Service“only six are public hospitals under indirect management” compared to the “Catalan model which assumes that of the 56 hospitals that make up its health network, only eight belong to the Catalan Institute of Health“.
“Private concerts in Madrid Health represent only 11% of expenditure compared to more than 23% in Catalonia”
2. Sánchez: “Between 2018 and 2023, the Community of Madrid received 100 billion euros from the Spanish government, 21% more than the The Rajoy government“.
Madrid responds by stating that it is not a “gift”. “It is what corresponds to the Community due to its fiscal capacity”, they affirm and add: “This figure is not decided by the government. It is the result of the calculations that serve to determine the financing that corresponds to the autonomous communities each year and that are collected in the Autonomous financing system“.
In other words, “the more the economic activity and the collectionthe more deliveries on account and payments increase.
Madrid regrets that the government has not “updated the advances to the autonomies for 2024 in time, hiding behind the budget extension.” “The Community of Madrid stopped receiving 837 million euros between January and August due to this delay,” they lament.
3. In tax questionSánchez said that the “tax cuts” in the capital “always aim to benefit the highest-ranking, which has reduced the Community’s income by 31 billion euros.”
From Sol, they assure that these 31 billion euros cannot be considered as a reduction in income, but rather an “economy” for citizens“Leaving this money to its owners does not mean losing income, as the left believes, quite the contrary,” they say from the Community of Madrid.
They also point out that these savings were possible thanks to the 20 tax reductions which Ayuso has approved since coming to power in the summer of 2019.
Likewise, they insist that Madrid is the community that collects the most big taxes with a total of 104.782 million in 2023 (IRPF, VAT and special taxes).
“Income tax in Madrid has been reduced by 30% for the lowest incomes and by 4.65% for the highest incomes, and collection has always increased”
4. Sánchez said that out of ten euros that the central government has allocated to Community of MadridThe regional executive used three of them to grant “tax gifts to the richest.”
From Madrid, they defend themselves with the following data: “The tax cuts have a greater impact on low incomes and, since 2010, the Community of Madrid has reduced personal income tax by almost 30% for the lowest incomes and by 4.65% for the highest incomes.
Likewise, from the headquarters of Puerta de Sol, they affirm that the Spanish government “does not give anything” to capital “that does not correspond to it.” “Madrid’s fiscal capacity is not only reflected in an increase in resources through the autonomous financing system, but also in a greater contribution to the common boxFrom 2018 to 2023, Madrid’s contribution to the Fundamental Fund for the Guarantee of Public Services amounted to 27.808 million euros, 50% more than under the government of Mariano Rajoy.
5. Criticisms were also made in the educational field: “Madrid has the lowest spending per student in all of Spain.”
“PISA places Madrid above national average in mathematics, science and reading”
He Ayuso Government stresses that this statement is “false” and that “no region is committed with as much determination” as Madrid “to increasing the quality of its education.” Madrid invest every year 100 million euros in the new educational infrastructures, they say from the Community.
“We are the only community to reduce the ratios of students in the classes of the second cycle of early childhood education and ESO and every year we break the record of teachers in public education: this year, more than 64,000 teachers and professors thanks to the incorporation of 1,400 new civil servants“.
Beyond these figures, the people of Ayuso are proud of the latest PISA reportwhich places the region among the ten best countries in the world and among the five autonomies with the best results and more than 20 points above the national average in mathematics, science and reading.
6. Sánchez: “Madrid is at the bottom of the scale of public health spending per capita, with 23% less than the national average.”
In making this statement, according to Madrid, Sánchez does not intend circumstances which “have an impact on health expenditure such as the high population density” in Madrid compared to the geographical dispersion in other territories such as “Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha either Extremadura“.
That is, the data used by the President of the Government, referring to the Annual report of the national health systemdo not constitute “a homogeneous indicator for comparison purposes between autonomous communities”. Likewise, the aforementioned report “does not include the increase in the budget for the years 2022 and 2024 nor the execution of actual expenditure”.
“The left’s hackneyed argument that Madrid is the region that invests least in health per capita “is exceeded, taking into account all the other health indicators that, precisely, the Community of Madrid leads.”
President Pedro Sánchez promised “more money” for all autonomies
7. The President of the Government accused Madrid of having “completely” eliminated regional benefits so that all Spaniards would end up paying for them. He gave as an example the Minimum integration income (RMI), regional aid which in 2018 enabled 27,000 vulnerable families and what it cost Madrid’s public coffers 12.5 million euros per month.
“During these six years, the regional government has eliminated this allowance and today they barely receive it 760 families and distribute 300,000 euros per month. At the same time, the number of vulnerable Madrid households that obtain the Minimum living income (IMV) created by the Spanish government went from 0 to 50,000with a monthly investment of 37 million euros. “The numbers speak for themselves.”
Madrid responds by arguing that the IMV complies with EU recommendations and that regional aid is provided MRI remains “open to all those who meet the conditions of access and maintenance”, but let us remember that the two services “they are not compatible”which explains why with the entry into force of the IMV the number of beneficiaries of the Minimum Income has decreased.
