The fiscal homogenization that Pedro Sánchez defends in Europe, but also in Spain, to avoid the race for tax reductions that drive the autonomous communities governed by the PP, and singularly Isabel Díaz Ayuso from Madrid, is reflected in the framework program regional with which the PSOE is presented in the elections of May 28. “Guaranteeing the same fiscal treatment to all citizens, regardless of where they live or act”, is one of the commitments that the PSOE makes, according to the electoral program that was ratified by its federal committee on Saturday.
“It is necessary to achieve an optimal balance in the exercise of the regulatory powers of the autonomous communities on taxes, so that taxation does not distort the decisions of the citizens’ vital projects or the investment decisions of companies”, he argues the document approved by the socialists.
In addition, and despite the fact that this legislature will not be the one for the reform of the regional financing system as Sánchez promised in his inauguration speech, the PSOE is once again embodying this commitment in its electoral program. The aim is, therefore, “to reach a consensus proposal for reform of the regional financing system, based on solidarity, sufficiency, equity, transparency and fiscal co-responsibility and to guarantee equal access for all citizens to public services”. The principle of ordinality, the eternal demand of the PSC that the southern PSOE always understood as a loss of solidarity between territories, remains, therefore, outside the focus of the program.
Although the text does admit differences. The document proposes “to adjust the actions of the administration to the social, economic, geographical and demographic realities of Spain”. “The financing of the autonomous communities must ensure the autonomy to adopt spending decisions that satisfy the differentiated needs”, defends the programmatic text.
It should be remembered that the current system of financing the autonomous communities of the common regime, approved in 2009 under the mandate of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero after intense negotiations with the Generalitat led by José Montilla, had an expected validity of five years, so it expired in 2014. That means it will soon be a decade old.
But, despite the insistent claims of the communities that feel most underfunded, especially by the Valencian president, Ximo Puig, the pandemic crisis and the lack of any understanding with the PP forced the central government to postpone this reform – except of the new calculation of the adjusted population – compensated, however, with the injection of extraordinary resources to the autonomous regions throughout the legislature.
A total of 15 priorities, articulated through 300 proposals, are included in the regional framework program of the PSOE, in matters of employment, immigration, territorial cohesion, demographic challenge, ecological transition, equality and diversity, social services, health and public education, professional training, youth, primary sector, science and innovation or culture.
With one objective: “To guarantee public policies in line with the needs of the migrant population and of the autonomous community itself, promoting collaboration with the general administration of the State”. In addition to “cooperating to match the needs of the labor market with the potential of each autonomous community”.
According to the recent draft parity law approved by the Central Executive, the program calls to “guarantee parity between men and women in governments, and promote the presence of women in positions of responsibility in all structures”. Also, in line with the drive to abolish prostitution agreed by the PSOE at its last federal congress, the programmatic text bets on regional plans to eradicate any kind of sexual exploitation.
With regard to water management, they propose “to regulate the application of rates and pricing processes for water use, taxing the most intensive use and encouraging savings and efficiency systems”.
