The PSOE has rejected this Wednesday the initial approval of the municipal government's budgets of Teguise, formed by the Canarian Coalition (CC), Popular Party (PP) and Vox, for the year 2024.
“We have plenty of reasons for this vote against it, as they reduce investments and bear the exclusive seal of the municipal government since it denied us, even being the majority party in the City Council, the possibility of amending the accounts”, this is how firm the PSOE spokesperson, Marcos Bergaz, is.
“If a few days ago we demanded the correction of these accounts, for being light years away from what the municipality needs, today we denounce the attitude of the municipal government that, in addition to the null attempts to agree on the budget, prevents them from being amended, referring the opposition to the presentation of allegations once approved, a figure designed for the filing of claims against it and not its amendment”, Bergaz emphasizes.
The budget foresees an increase of 6,796,000 euros compared to that of 2022, the last one to be approved, until reaching the figure of 39,035,000 euros, and will be subject to a period of public exposure for 15 days for the presentation of allegations. However, investments are reduced to barely two million euros, “the lowest in the last five years, despite the increase in economic resources and existing needs in the towns and payments of the municipality”, Bergaz laments.
Continuists away from Teguise
Focusing on the entrails of the budgets, the spokesperson values them as "some continuist accounts, without ambition, or in the words of the government for the 'day to day', which remind us of the last era of the previous government, the one formed exclusively by the Canarian Coalition. They could even bear the signature of the previous mayor, Oswaldo Betancort, due to the numerous paragraphs and lines of the memory of this budget that are a copy of the 2022 memory and due to the background, without a roadmap for the future".
“If the 2022 accounts (the last ones to be approved) were already far from the needs of the municipality, continuing on the same path means delving into past mistakes, reasons among others that led to its political formation CC and you, Mrs. Mayor, who headed the list, to lose 4 councilors and 1186 votes last 28M", Bergaz declared.
In addition, the Socialist Group does not share the forms used in this first budget of the CC, PP and Vox Government "by not allowing any amendment by the majority group of the City Council, which is the PSOE, and the rest of the formations", Bergaz recalls.
The Socialist Team reasoned its vote against with a series of clarifying questions "how are we going to support some accounts that with almost 40 million euros presents investments lower than the budget for example of 2022 or 2019. Then (in 2019) with scarce 30 million and more debts, the City Council collected investments of 3'2 million, 1.2 million more than now with 10 million more budget".
The argument extended to the impossibility of supporting some accounts that “freeze general expenses in agriculture at 90,000 euros, without significant investments for our primary sector, nor to whitewash them since they do not foresee multi-year, planned, or future investments; but they are satisfied with the day to day".
Finally, the socialist spokesperson, Marcos Bergaz, announced that if the PSOE holds the government in the future "the forms and the substance will change when talking about budgets and the roadmap that Teguise and La Graciosa deserve".
Budget details
The budget initially approved contemplates total resources of 39,035,000 euros, compared to 32,239,000 euros (without counting the credit operation finally not requested) of the 2022 financial year, which are the last approved accounts. Therefore, an increase of 6,796,000 euros.
Its breakdown points out with respect to the expenses that 13,374,221.76 euros are allocated to chapter 1 of personnel, compared to 12,266,981.95 euros of 2022; 19,754,701.72 euros to chapter 2 of Current Expenses and Services (14,638,283.39 in 2022); 2,787,200 euros for chapter 4 Current Transfers or Subsidies compared to 2,358,076.66 euros of 2022; or 2,000,000 euros to chapter 6 of Investments when in 2022 they collected 2,120,715 euros (10,740,715 euros if the loan not requested is included).
In the income section, 13,142,500 euros are foreseen for the collection of Direct Taxes of chapter 1 (Property tax, mainly); 9,512,695.68 euros for Indirect Taxes of chapter 2 (case of income from the Canary Islands Financing Block); 4,294,257.46 euros for Fees and other income of chapter 3 (fees, public prices and fines); 11,339,546.86 euros of chapter 4 Current transfers (Participation in the taxes of the State or of the CCAA Canary Islands), among the most outstanding chapters and income routes.