The Spanish president is finding it increasingly difficult to convince people of the benefits of his policy. Within the PSOE, critical voices have already been raised against the amnesty law, and they are once again speaking out against “singular financing” in Catalonia.
For the socialist Salvador Illa to be president of the Generalitat, The CPS had to negotiate the support of the independentists. ERC has set a high price: that 100% of state taxes be managed directly in Catalonia. In other words, to establish a kind of quota like the one that already exists only in the Basque Country and Navarre to have full fiscal sovereignty and break the general financing regime.
Catalonia being one of the richest autonomies, I don’t like this preferential treatment at all. to the rest of the communities. Nor to the Aragonese socialists. That same week, the Regional Executive of the PSOE Aragon expressed its rejection of the fiscal agreement between the ERC and the PSC, and demanded an autonomous financing system without privileges for any territory.
Possible pact in Aragon
The president of Aragon Jorge Azcón, during his visit to the MotorLand circuit of Alcañiz, said that Sanchez’s autonomous financing model breaks the principle of equality and solidarity: “The financing model that is promoted by the Spanish government and that was agreed with the pro-independence groups to carry out the government of Catalonia; harms Aragon. It harms Aragon, because if a rich autonomous community like Catalonia does not contribute money to the common treasury, solidarity collapses, as does the equality with which we distribute the money,” he criticized.
Azcón, announced an upcoming debate in the Cortes of Aragon on the regional financing model, and considers a great pact with the rest of the Aragonese political forces as very possible: “I believe that a great agreement on the financing of the payment of public services is possible in Aragon. If we look at the statements made by the rest of the political parties, I think it is possible that we can reach an agreement” he expressed.
The President of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, during his visit to Motorland.
The Head of the Executive intends for Aragon to be an example for the rest of the autonomies by showing unity in the rejection of the “Catalan quota”, he said. It would not be the first time that a major agreement has been reached between the different parties.: “We have experience when it comes to reaching historic agreements. From the Water Pact to the subsequent reform of the Statute of Autonomy. I think it is good that in Aragon we reach an agreement. An agreement of all political formations”, Azcón insisted that We must put aside partisan issues and join forces in the interests of Aragon.: “The time has come, we must put aside the more partisan issues to unite to defend our autonomous community.”
Now it remains to be seen what the Aragonese socialists’ response will be. They have already clearly expressed their opposition to the tax agreement between the ERC and the PSC. The secretary of the organization, Dario Villagrasa stressed that the PSOE has been defending for decades a regional financing system in which the real cost of services is reflected, without privileges of any kind.“It is not the same to pay a teacher or a doctor in a big city than in a rural area. It is not the same in an autonomous community like Aragon, with 731 municipalities and a territorial dispersion in 1,500 urban centers, as in other more populated communities like Catalonia,” explained Villagrasa. It remains to be seen whether they will join the Popular Party to send a clear and strong message from Aragon to the central executive.
