“I know where the criticisms are going to come from.” Those were the words spoken by the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno, when he announced the elimination of the Wealth Tax in the Andalusian autonomous community. And he was right.
This tax cut announced by the popular leader is marked by his notorious inclination in favor of privileged minorities, which represent only 0.2% of the Andalusian population, and by his tendency towards a few at the cost of reducing public resources allocated to the welfare state.
But the elimination of the “tax on the rich” is not only a clear representation of the interests of right-wing politics, but a threat to the search for greater social justice. Our party does not seek to give privileges or enrich a few at the cost of the impoverishment of millions of Spaniards.
We continue to stand by the social majority and a clear example is the announcement by the Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, during a plenary session in the Congress of Deputies, that she will establish a special tax on large fortunes in order to increase collection among large assets and income.
According to data offered by the Tax Agency with respect to the 2021 financial year, the collection for the Wealth Tax amounted to 120 million euros and the number of taxpayers to 20,661. And it is that, while the Government of Spain, in line with the European Commission, works to ensure that energy companies and banks contribute more, the popular Moreno Bonilla is dedicated to giving 6,000 euros to the richest.
His new fiscal package is a minority measure that will mean an economic gift of 36,500 euros for a net worth of four million euros, which translates into a decision that only benefits the highest incomes and does not address the inflation problems of the lowest.
An approach that has nothing to do with the work that the Socialist Party does to achieve a fairer balance and to guarantee equal opportunities, as has been evident in the proposal to the European Commission to establish a cap on the income of companies that produce energy at low cost, including large oil, gas and coal companies.
Probably, all the progress we have made is the result of our ability to empathize and put ourselves in the place of the less favored. At all times, our objective has been to protect the middle and working class, the small and medium-sized companies in Spain, in order to guarantee, to a greater extent, collective well-being and, especially, to favor the most vulnerable.
Since the Andalusian elections last June, the options for candidate for the next government have been directed towards the right. This fact is a clear example of what is expected of conservative parties, characterized by raising all taxes on the working class and approving tax amnesties for the rich. And it is that none of the tax measures approved so far by Moreno Bonilla has benefited the pockets of families who are having the worst time with this economic crisis.
The Socialist Party has been and is the party of the social majority and the working class and it is, at this time, when it is most necessary to demonstrate what our interests are and unmask those who strive to carry out projects and initiatives and those who prefer to stay in confrontation and demagoguery.
It is in this line that we will continue working until the end of the mandate and in which we will continue working after the 2023 elections if citizens decide to bet on those who, unlike those who dedicate themselves to populism, fight to defend the interests of the majority, for the well-being of the middle and working classes, to make this country an egalitarian and fair territory.
It is not Moreno Bonilla. It is not Feijóo. It is not Ayuso. It is the PP that we are used to, which governs in favor of a few at the expense of the majority. It is the one with the cuts and fewer public services for the benefit of the great fortunes. It is the one that attacks the fundamental rights of all Spaniards and goes against those of us who fight for education and public health. Therefore, let them not deceive us, we do not want more fiscal populism.
