The Canary Islands Community Budgets for 2024 are worrying. They are very imprudent, as they do not take into account either the economic context or the recovery of the spending rule, as well as taking occasional income to structural current expenditure. In addition, they are deeply unbalanced, with enormous growth in Health while other areas decrease significantly or lose weight in the set of these public accounts, the first of the two Canary Islands rights in the current legislature. They do not comply with education and punish, especially, universities and social services, and cut equality policies and also the primary sector of the Islands.
Firstly, as we have been pointing out for some time, these Budgets confirm the enormous electoral deception that was the promise, both by CC and the PP, to proceed with a reduction of the IGIC from 7% to 5%. In Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-bc) we said then, and reiterate now, that this possible reduction would cause enormous damage to public services and the financing of the island councils and the Canary Islands town councils. And that we neither shared it when we governed and the conservative forces demanded it permanently nor do we defend it now that we are in the opposition.
We are therefore pleased that the Government of the two rights is failing to meet one of its main and most striking programmatic commitments of the regional elections held last May due to the negative consequences that this unjustified reduction would have on collective welfare. It seems to us a fraud, yes, that seeks to capture votes with unachievable and irresponsible promises, doing irreparable damage to the credibility of electoral campaigns and democracy itself. Curiously, in addition, their income forecasts for the IGIC grow by 17% in these public accounts while the economy will do so by 2%.
Spending rule
In NC-bc we understand, on the other hand, that these are very imprudent Budgets. They are so in relation to spending, by incorporating 1,121 million euros more despite the signs of stagnation of the economy and the activation of fiscal rules, after being suspended for several years. In line with what is stated in the October report of this year by the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (Airef), I believe that the spending rule is falsified in these accounts. The recommended one is three percent while CC and PP have put double, six percent. How have they done it? Artificially increasing the level of budgetary execution forecast for the year 2023, an issue that will become evident when the accounts for this year are closed.
I also consider it reckless that the Government of the Canary Islands takes occasional income to structural current expenditure, as Airef has also pointed out. Nothing more and nothing less than a thousand million. Once these cyclical revenues have disappeared, this public expenditure cannot be sustained. And its negative consequences will be clearly perceived in the 2025 and 2026 Budgets.
This imprudence in the Canary Islands public accounts contrasts with the Budget of Andalusia, proposed by a government that is also conservative, with similar profiles. An Executive that, however, when preparing its public accounts for 2024 has taken into account the context of the economy, the uncertainties posed by international conflicts, the price of money, the containment of growth, the presence of fiscal rules in 2024... growing by 2.5%. The same is true in the case of the Community of Valencia, which increases by 4.6%, or Castilla La Mancha, which increases by 6%. While in the Canary Islands it does so by 11%, which, sooner rather than later, will be shown to be an erroneous approach, a mess that will have to be corrected.
I said at the beginning that, in addition to being reckless, this Budget for next year is deeply unbalanced. Of the overall increase in spending included in it, 1,121 million euros, practically half is directed to Health, with the occurrence, in my opinion not very successful, of budgeting what they call "real spending", which does not correspond to the characteristics of this complex public service, which requires organization and efficient management.
That imbalance is paid for by education, social services, housing, culture or universities. Absolutely key and structuring policies, which lose participation in these Budgets for 2024, making them antisocial. With respect to the educational area, it grows by 4.9%, less than half of the total public accounts. And no progress is made with respect to the objective of reaching 5% of GDP, as stated in article 72 of the Canary Islands Non-University Education Law of 2014; on the contrary, this Budget of the two rights moves us away from achieving that objective after the notable progress experienced in the previous legislature.
Non-compliance with universities
For the new Ministry of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture there is an increase of 19 million euros. This results in a flagrant breach of the commitment made to the universities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and La Laguna, which places them in a very complicated financial situation. Its limited budgetary relevance shows that this new department is more directed to placing people from CC in the Government than to responding to the interests, needs and teaching and research expectations of our higher centers.
Similar treatment is also received by the area of Social Services, now called Social Welfare. It rises 33 million euros, 22 below the 55 million established as a minimum by law. It should be remembered that in the accounts for the present year 2023 it increased by 90 million euros and CC and the PP criticized it then. An incoherence of the partners of the right-wing pact that will compromise the deployment of the Citizen's Income and dependency services.
