Slightly less than 2.7 million taxpayers, according to official figures from the Ministry of Finance, have requested a check for 200 euros to try to meet the extraordinary expenses caused by inflation. The number of requests is high, but it is far from the initial forecasts of the Government which, when it approved the aid at the end of last year, calculated that it would reach six million people or 4.2 million households.
The anti-inflation check of 200 euros, to be paid in a single payment, caused a wave of requests during the first hours. On February 15, the Tax Agency opened the period for taxpayers to be eligible for this aid that seeks to reduce situations of economic vulnerability not covered by other social benefits. But with only one day to go before the deadline, which ends on March 31, the contemplated budget will not be spent.
Specifically, the economic memory of the validated decree contemplated a budget of 1,200 million. If there is not a flood of applications before this Friday, the expense would amount to about 540 million, less than half of what was originally estimated. The number of potential beneficiaries was calculated by the Tax Agency with information from the General Treasury of Social Security, the State Public Employment Service (Sepe), the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Ministry of the Interior.
The final number of registered applications is not as expected and the reasons why it has not reached the six million potential candidates may be various. There could be taxpayers who are not aware of the existence of the check, despite the publicity campaigns that the Government has carried out in recent weeks. There may also be citizens who do not have the knowledge or possibilities to carry out the required procedures, although the Tax Agency has simplified them as much as possible. There could also be a third group that does not wish to share their economic data with the Tax Agency and the general administration. Beneficiaries of the minimum vital income and pensioners are excluded from the aid of 200 euros.
It is not the first time that aid that seeks to improve the economic situation of the most vulnerable ends up not being fully or partially covered. During 2022, a 200-euro check was in force for more modest incomes, less than 14,000 euros a year, which barely reached 600,000 beneficiaries, when the Treasury made a forecast of a potential 2.7 million. Something similar is happening with the social bonus, which has serious difficulties in reaching the most needy and even large families with lower incomes.
The single check of 200 euros whose application period ends tomorrow is intended for taxpayers with income of less than 27,000 euros in 2022 and assets that do not exceed 75,000 euros. Although it was designed to help defray the increase in food spending, it is not final and can be used for any purchase. It will be paid by bank transfer starting next week and until June 30. If after this date the payment has not been received, the aid will be understood as rejected.
