There is consensus in the ranks of Esquerra that of the three issues that were put on the negotiating table for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez, that of alleviating the fiscal deficit was the one that was the weakest. ERC ended up accepting the PSOE proposal: a forgiveness of part of the debt of the Autonomous Liquidity Fund (FLA). The reduction of 15,000 million euros represents 20% of the total debt, in addition to stopping paying interest of 1,300 million euros. Despite everything, Pere Aragonès has not wanted to abandon the idea and suggests that the Republicans will return to the fray during the legislature. So he has proposed forging next year a broad agreement in Parliament so that all taxes are collected in Catalonia, "so that Catalonia has the resources it deserves and the fiscal deficit ends."
The proposal was launched by the president of the Generalitat during this morning's control session in Parliament, after being questioned by Junts. Aragonès has assured that Catalonia has been denouncing the fiscal deficit for years, which is equivalent to approximately 8% of GDP. “It has always been maintained despite three agreements in the area of financing: in 1993, 1996 and 2009, but they are still far from what the citizens of Catalonia deserve,” recalled the head of the Government.
At this point is when the head of the Government has assessed the ERC agreement with the PSOE. The Republicans, despite struggling in the negotiation to solve it, reached a compromise with this reduction of 15,000 million. "All the paths that allow us to get closer to the end of the fiscal deficit are positive steps," he reasoned.
Aragonès addressed these words to the president of the Junts parliamentary group, Albert Batet. the formation continues immersed in the negotiations, led by Carles Puigdemont, for the investiture, but Batet recalled that last Monday, ERC and Junts jointly presented in Parliament their conclusions on the historical debt and in which they highlighted the annual fiscal deficit of 22,000 million euros, a deficit in infrastructure accumulated over the years of 51,000 million, and a debt in social policies that the two parties estimated at 175,000 million euros.
“Catalonia paying, and Spain suffocating,” he said. For the leader of the post-convergents in the Catalan Chamber, the situation is serious and it is a “structural and chronic” problem. “Catalonia is the fourth autonomous community in wealth creation per capita and is twelfth in the well-being index,” Batet noted before stating that the situation is unsustainable.
But Batettambiñen has replied to Aragonès. He has responded that his party does not want “pieces” - such as the forgiveness of that debt - in the face of a problem, the fiscal deficit, which he has considered structural. “Some of the measures that have been announced in recent days neither solve the fiscal deficit nor the historical debt,” he has said more explicitly.
“Evidently, last week's agreements do not solve the fiscal deficit,” the president has unequivocally acknowledged in reference to the PSOE-Esquerra pact to facilitate the inauguration of Pedro Sánchez. The solution? Put pressure on the next Government, if it materializes, with the collection of taxes in Catalonia.
