Jaume Collboni’s first exam as mayor is that of finances. The beginning of the mandate with a minority government has been characterized by shock measures, such as the Endreça Plan, and also future announcements, such as the coverage of the Dalt round. All actions, whether to ensure their continuity or to start them up, require a new budget. Otherwise, providing them financially will be very complicated, although not impossible. And these accounts need, for their part, political agreements that do not exist today and it seems difficult for them to arrive. The income and expenditure forecast for next year still has time to be negotiated. But the fiscal ordinances – the updating of rates and taxes – no. Tomorrow’s plenum decides whether to overturn them definitively after they were rejected last week in committee by the entire opposition as a whole.
Only an agreement in extremis would save the first fiscal ordinances of Collboni. If the proposal that will reach the plenary with the negative report of the municipal groups finally receives more votes in favor than against, it will be provisionally approved and processing will begin. Then the different political forces and entities could present allegations. A pre-agreement to incorporate changes is the only way to get the necessary support this Friday. There is also the possibility that they will be voted on by blocks (tourist taxation, economic activities tax -IAE-, terraces of bars and restaurants and the rest), as was already done in the commission in which they were rejected. Junts and BComú are Collboni’s first choices. And ERC is necessary for an understanding of the left.
And if tomorrow’s plenum rejects the tax ordinances? Then, from January 1, the current ones would remain in force. But the effect would be very limited. The City Council’s economic team estimates that the planned changes – mainly the increase in the tourist surcharge for short-haul cruises and tourist apartments and the rate for terraces (see the box) – would only add about six million euros to the total income Very little for a budget of 3,735 million, 140 million more than that of 2023, according to the project that the government had to withdraw from the same commission due to lack of support to avoid it also being rejected.
With or without new tax ordinances, and even if the budget is extended, the City Council’s income will grow in 2024. The forecast of the municipal financial area is that through fees and taxes, 71 million more will be obtained than in 2023 This is due to the vegetative growth of economic activity, real estate, tourism… which lead to more revenue. The participation in State taxes will also be significantly greater (241 million more), because the latter is collecting more and has more to distribute. In short, more resources that would be difficult to use in the event of a budget extension. Anything that is not approved or not expressly authorized by the plenary session as necessary expenditure for the city can only be used to pay off debt – Barcelona has no pressure in this regard because its income is around 30%, when the legal limit is 75% – or leave it in the box.
The City Council’s economic team estimates that 715 million of the budget planned for 2024 will not be able to be spent if the accounts are extended. More than 500 million corresponds to investment and the rest to current expenditure. The opposition questions these figures In any case, many actions would not have continuity because they will have been completed in 2023 and their extension would not proceed, and others that were expected to continue next year would have the same resources as this year , when they would need more funding. The reforms of Via Laietana and the Rambla could be affected. Also nominative grants to social entities that are formalized in annual collaboration agreements and not through open calls.
