It is very likely that, in a gesture of good will, from those who are part of the municipal political tradition, next Wednesday, in the Barcelona City Council’s Economy Committee, several municipal groups will give the green light to the process of the budgets for next year, the first of the Collboni era. It would be a first step to pave the way for a negotiation that, taking into account the initial reactions of the spokespersons of the different groups, will not exactly be a formality for the team of the socialist mayor.
The PSC’s most likely ally does not seem, at the outset, to be very convinced with the calculations made by the municipal government, despite the fact that some proposals, such as those to increase taxation on tourism, seem designed to win the favor of the commons. BComú’s number two, Jordi Martí, described the draft presented by Valls as “timid”. “He wants to please everyone and he won’t please anyone”, said the lieutenant of Ada Colau, who listed a series of “big absences”: the Amazon tax on home delivery, a levy on mobile phone antennas or the ‘IBI of large home owners. With all this, according to Martí, it would be possible to raise the 3,735 million euros budgeted by the Socialists up to 4,000 million.
BComú sees in the proposal of its former partners “a manifest inability to respond to the needs of the city today”.
The commons maintain the principle of not negotiating the budget. Their goal is to first agree on a left-wing government in which they also want ERC.
For Collboni, the most viable alternative would be an alliance with the Trias per Barcelona group, the only combination of two that would guarantee an absolute majority. However, an operation of this type has certain drawbacks for the mayor. Jaume Collboni wrested the mayorship from Xavier Trias, the winner of the elections, and this is not easily forgotten. In addition, a budget pact with Junts would annihilate any option of a government agreement with the commons.
In any case, the reaction of the formation led by ex-mayor Trias does not leave much room for maneuver in the PSC either. “He’s only looking for the support of Ada Colau’s party”, is the conclusion reached by councilor Ramon Tremosa. “Collboni has preferred to abandon the option of change to continue with the Ada Colau model. And here we will not be there”, said Tremosa yesterday, who regretted the “lack of will to negotiate and pact” demonstrated so far by the municipal government.
Tremosa gave as examples of the things that his group misses in the proposed budgets and tax ordinances to improve the flat tax rate, rectify the garbage collection rate, include a bonus in the IBI for single-parent families and fiscally subsidize residents and economic activities affected by long-term works.
Collboni’s budget forecasts are also not to ERC’s liking, which has already asked the PSC to postpone the budget presentation scheduled for next Wednesday’s commission if it wants to reach some kind of agreement with the Republicans. Ernest Maragall believes that they are the accounts of “a government of minimums that governs under minimums”, a “government without ambition”. The ERC leader believes that “there is no point in talking about budgets without the Collboni government explaining what its project is for Barcelona and with whom it wants to govern”.
For its part, the PP, which facilitated the investiture of Collboni on June 17, is also not at all satisfied with the first budget proposal. According to Daniel Sirera, “it seems to have been prepared by Ada Colau” because it “gives continuity to such disastrous investments for the city as the superblocks, the tram union and the reforms of Via Laietana or Ronda Sant Antoni”. Likewise, Sirera lamented that “the municipal government is once again penalizing tourists who visit us” and consolidates Barcelona as “the city where the highest taxes are paid in all of Spain”.
