Podemos announced this Thursday an agreement to unblock the tax reform that is being debated this Thursday in Congress. After a negotiation that has lasted almost to the end, a few hours before the vote on the package takes place, Ione Belarra’s party and the Government have agreed to promote a new bill to approve a tax on energy companies. However, this pact includes the requirement that Junts had made to approve the reform: that this agreement includes benefits for companies to be able to deduct part of that tax with investments in decarbonization.
Along these lines, shortly after Podemos announced the pact, asked if Junts “agrees” with what was announced, the Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, settled: “There will be a majority and it will move forward.” “Fortunately for the country we have an agreement for tax reform which will allow it to be fair, more redistributive and with resources for the welfare state, the security of citizens. Congratulate all groups for their capacity for dialogue and agreement. Many hours of work that bear fruit,” said the Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero in the halls of Congress.
“The agreement represents the commitment of the PSOE and Podemos to promote a new bill that contains a tax on energy companies. With this objective, in the coming days a negotiating commission will be established with the participation of all the political parties necessary to approve this reform to achieve the necessary consensus to approve this tax,” Ione Belarra’s party reported in a statement.
This negotiating commission, which Montero has also confirmed in his statements, has been one of the keys to unblocking the agreement. Everything has gone ahead also thanks to the fact that the PSOE has sent Podemos a written commitment that Junts will support there being a tax. And sources from Belarra’s party say that if Junts does not end up accepting it, they will vote against the reform.
However, the agreement announced by Podemos adds that if a consensus does not emerge before December 31, the Government will have to approve a royal decree with the extension throughout the year, along the same lines as what had previously been agreed upon by ERC, EH. Bildu and BNG with the Treasury a few days ago. Furthermore, this agreement contemplates that energy companies will be able to continue deducting part of that tax with investments in decarbonization, something that the PSOE had committed to Junts.
“If this consensus is not achieved before December 31, the Government will approve an RDL with the extension of the tax on energy companies until 2025. In any case, this strategy will have to be compatible with not taxing the investments that are committed with decarbonization, in line with the statement published by the Ministry of Finance on Monday, November 18,” explains Podemos. “The technical complexity of this tax and the need to carry out a rigorous analysis of this tax figure makes it necessary to continue working with the groups for the fair contribution of this sector,” the note adds.
The Government has thus managed to square the difficult puzzle that was presented to it for this fiscal package, after a bizarre negotiation on Monday in the Finance Commission and the pressure since then from Podemos to accompany this reform of the tax on electricity companies.
Add Comment