The PSOE of Teguise has described the municipal budget project for this 2024 as "disappointing." The initiative, led by the government composed of Coalición Canaria, the Partido Popular, and Vox, will be debated in the next plenary session. Thus, the spokesperson for the socialist party in the conejera locality, Marcos Bergaz, has highlighted that "the urgency to have new accounts, 400 days after the last ones approved in 2022, does not justify this budget without ambition or future investments."
"These are certainly not the budgets that Teguise and La Graciosa need to emerge from the decline experienced in recent years; rather, they constitute the sad confirmation of the current government's lack of direction," Bergaz added.
For the socialists, it has been incomprehensible that despite increasing the accounts by more than six million euros, up to 39,035,000 euros (compared to 32,239,000 in 2022), investments are reduced, allocating only two million, 5.12% of the total budget, to chapter 6 of investments, the lowest amount in the last five years "with everything that needs to be done in Teguise and La Graciosa," they emphasize.
In this way, they have requested "the correction of the budget, as we cannot settle for accounts for day-to-day operations, as members of the Coalición Canaria (CC), Partido Popular (PP), and Vox government have referred to these, but we must aspire to a budget that allows us to recover the leadership lost in recent years and address the needs of the citizens," the socialist pointed out in a press release.
"Teguise and La Graciosa deserve a better budget and, above all, a roadmap that is not observed in these accounts. Neither in the forms, with zero attempts to reach a minimum consensus with the majority party of the Corporation, the PSOE; nor in the substance, with the absence of future projects, significant investments, or multi-year actions. In fact - Bergaz highlighted - the main investment is the item of 550,000 euros for expropriations."
"Significant economic items to renovate playgrounds are conspicuous by their absence; a plan for basic infrastructure on sidewalks, lighting, or paving; addressing pending planning tasks (Special Plan for the Historic Site of La Villa, Modernization Plan for Costa Teguise, or revision of the General Plan); a specific item for La Graciosa; or initiating the fulfillment of eternal promises such as a new pavilion, the municipal swimming pool, or a beautification plan for the towns," Bergaz lamented.
"It seems that the concerns of CC, PP, and Vox are going in another direction, and what their accounts do include are increases in the item for propaganda and advertising, which increases from 120,000 euros to 160,000 euros; or in popular festivals, from 70,000 euros to 200,000 euros, while they freeze resources for the primary sector, with the meager 90,000 euros in general expenses and zero investments, despite being such a relevant sector for our municipality."
"Unfortunately, this picture does not surprise us. It is a consequence of the current Government lacking a roadmap and the continuity management of Coalición Canaria, despite losing 1,186 votes and four councilors in the last elections, along with the complicity of its executive partners PP and Vox," concludes the socialist leader.
Budget Breakdown
The draft budget includes total resources of 39,035,000 euros, compared to 32,239,000 euros (not including the credit operation finally not requested) for the 2022 fiscal year, which are the last approved accounts. Therefore, an increase of 6,796,000 euros.
Its breakdown indicates that 13,374,221.76 euros are allocated to chapter 1 of personnel expenses, compared to 12,266,981.95 euros in 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 in 2022; or 2,000,000 euros to chapter 6 of Investments when in 2022 they included 2,120,715 euros (10,740,715 euros if the unrequested loan is included).
In the income section, 13,142,500 euros are foreseen for the collection of Direct Taxes from chapter 1 (mainly property tax); 9,512,695.68 euros for Indirect Taxes from chapter 2 (such as income from the Canary Islands Financing Block); 4,294,257.46 euros for Fees and other income from chapter 3 (fees, public prices, and fines); 11,339,546.86 euros from chapter 4 Current Transfers (Participation in the taxes of the State or the Canary Islands CCAA Administration), among the most prominent chapters and sources of income.
Finally, from the socialist ranks, citizens are invited to follow the plenary session in which these accounts will be debated on Wednesday, January 10, starting at 9 a.m. in the Convent of Santo Domingo de La Villa or through the website Teguise.es