At least six PSOE federations: Madrid, Aragon, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, Galicia and Extremaduraapproved the amendments to the framework presentation of the PSOE for the 41st Federal Congress in Seville, in which they ask make changes to the national leadership’s proposal on regional funding.
The various amendments approved by socialist activists demand a “fair”, “multilateral” financing system with “common criteria” for all autonomous communities and reject the federalization of the tax system, as proposed by Ferraz.
The national leadership of the PSOE has prepared a framework presentation, which serves as a basis for the debates that will take place during the 41st Federal Congress, which will be held in Seville between November 29 and December 1. Ferraz sent his proposal to the federations and they approved hundreds of amendments on various subjects, from housing to equality or education, among others.
Also on regional financing, an issue which should occupy a good part of the debates in the Federal Congress, after the PSC signed an agreement with the ERC for single financing of Catalonia. This pact involves the transfer of all taxes to the autonomous administration and, in practice, the departure of Catalonia from the common regime and the transition to a system of consultation and quotas, like that of Euskadi and Navarre.
Federalize tax administration
The presentation prepared by Ferraz does not expressly mention this agreement, but he is in favor of “federalize” the management of the Tax Agency to give more decision-making capacity to the LACC and deploy “a network strategy with regional treasuries”.
In addition, proposes to review the harmonization of regional taxes “to avoid downward competition” in terms of taxes such as wealth, inheritance or the highest income tax brackets and emphasizes that the new system must make “multilaterality and bilaterality” compatible and that solidarity between territories will be maintained “with equal fiscal effort”. .
Bear and page
The PSOE of Madrid, led by Juan Lobato, approved amendments in which it demands guarantee that all autonomous communities contribute to the common fund with stable and common criteria. More precisely, they ask that the financing system respond to the principle of “social justice”, that is to say that each community contributes “according to its economic capacity and receives according to its needs”.
Furthermore, in response to the federalization of the AEAT proposed by Ferraz, the PSOE-M proposes an amendment to enhance the “efficiency” of the collecting body and “guarantee that it continues to be a central element” in the tax management. system. The amendments are approved by the base, in particular they need the support of 30% of the members of the provincial federation, and not the regional managements.
The PSOE of Castilla La Mancha, led by Emiliano García Page, — one of the barons most critical of the agreement with the ERC, who came to describe it as “obscene” and “embarrassing” –, had already warned that he would modify the presentation framework with his proposed tax harmonization law.
This rule states that all Spaniards must have the same tax obligations because they have the same rights to access public services, regardless of where they reside.
From the Aragon federation, another who severely criticized the agreement with the Catalan formation – the general secretary, Javier Lambán, declared that “it goes against the Constitution” – They also proposed amendments along these lines, in which they demand “equitable” regional and local funding..
Furthermore, the PSOE of Castile and León approved several initiatives so that the negotiation of the new financing system is “multilateral” and takes into account all the issues that “singularly” affect the community, such as depopulation, aging, territorial dispersion and the effective cost of providing services. public services, according to the Secretary General, Luis Tudanca.
Tudanca defended on Friday that it is necessary to improve the financing system with an “urgent” reform, in the sense requested by eight autonomous communities at the Santiago summit – in which the autonomy governed by the PSOE and the PP participated – that “in a way multilateral increase resources.
In Extremadura They also confirmed that they have approved amendments on this subject and, although they avoid revealing the details, they emphasize that they are following the line expressed by regional leaders in recent months.
In this regard, the leader of the Socialists of Extremadura, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, defends a financing system based “on equality and social justice” and which must be based on the principles of “certainty, stability and balance”.
Galicia asks to eliminate the mention of bilaterality
Finally, The Galician socialists also ask to remove the mention of the federalization of the management of the Tax Administration and they also warn that it is necessary to differentiate “between a specific pact between the parties of an autonomous community and a general political ideology”.
The text approved by the PSOE of Pontevedra warns that the State is competent to regulate not only its own taxes but also the general framework of the entire tax system and the delimitation of the financial powers of the communities in relation to those of the State himself.
They also call for the elimination of Ferraz’s reference to “making multilaterality and bilaterality compatible” and wonder what it means to combine the two concepts.
