The pressure from Junts and BComú is already eroding Jaume Collboni's resistance. The mayor now agrees to negotiate a government pact that gives stability to his executive. The opposition definitively rejected his proposal for tax ordinances in yesterday's ordinary plenary session. This is a considerable political blow, but also relative. If the mayor did not obtain enough support and was forced to extend this year's budget, his project would be in trouble.
However, Collboni feels capable, and also strong, to govern with only ten councilors, making agreements with one or another depending on the circumstances. But common and post-convergent are determined to take advantage of the scarce base of the executive to assume government responsibilities, to see how their electoral programs influence the action of the City Council. Their rejection of the tax ordinances illustrates this determination.
Yesterday's exam did not go well for Collboni. The tax update proposal for 2024 was again rejected by the opposition a week after he received a resounding no in the Economy and Finance commission. This setback, which forces current rates and taxes to be maintained, made the mayor's loneliness clear. His next litmus test, that of the budget, could also end with a failure because the two main groups that could support him – Junts or BComú – link them to a government pact and even to his entry into the executive. It's one or the other. Both forces exclude each other. The socialists would have an absolute majority with the formation of Xavier Trias, but not with that of Ada Colau. ERC councilors would be needed to form a left-wing entente, and the latter do not seem willing.
Faced with the risk of budget blockage, Collboni decided to change the screen. He is now willing to address both things, accounts and governance, as Junts and BComú ask him to do. Furthermore, the uncertain political situation beyond the City Council, with the investiture of Pedro Sánchez pending, advised the mayor not to make any moves yet in the Casa Gran.
“We will continue talking intensively with Junts and BComú, which have already publicly offered their willingness to make a government agreement, or a budget agreement, or a budget agreement and a government agreement,” said Collboni in response to a question from the PP about con who intended to agree on the budget. Sources from the mayor's office confirmed that the first mayor is now willing to talk about the accounts and governance at the same time, as requested by the Trias and Colau parties.
Before, in the debate on tax ordinances, this background was already expressed. Jordi Valls, Deputy Mayor for Economy, regretted that the proposal failed and that its content was not valued because what really matters to BComú and Junts is governing. “They make a political vote, they put pressure on the government because they want to join it,” he said. And, as for the specific issue under debate, what both parties raise is dichotomous since, Valls added, “some (those from Trias) want to lower the tax pressure and others (those from Colau) want to raise it,” while the Socialists defend a freeze. He asked the former to end the “duel” for not having won the mayoralty, and he criticized the latter for their “overacting” and “sterile excitement,” when in the previous term they governed in a coalition.
Valls recalled that the ordinances presented by the government did not increase the tax pressure on citizens, they had bonuses in the IAE to welcome companies or investments in the field of research and innovation and incorporated an agreement for the terrace tax with the Gremi de Restauració, which represents large companies and also many self-employed people. The deputy mayor said that it was difficult for him to understand why, taking all this into account, they had been rejected.
After thanking them for the dialogue, the head of the economy added that the government will continue talking to the groups. “We will open conversations, today nothing ends, everything begins,” said Valls a few hours before Collboni, at the end of the session, took a step further and also opened up to negotiating governability. The budget test is more relevant than that of the ordinances since, even maintaining the current rates and taxes – this will be the case since there is no possibility of approving others – the income will be higher in 2024 due to the expected vegetative growth. Collboni had to withdraw his first proposal from the last Economy Commission to avoid it being rejected like the tax ordinances. The mayor fears that this blockade will continue.
Junts and BComú once again disgraced Collboni for not having the will to reach an agreement and for having taken the straight path by presenting a proposal for ordinances without first seeking agreements. “They showed up without negotiating. They act as if they had an absolute majority. We are asked for trust, and we will talk," lamented Ramon Tremosa, from Junts, who defended the need to lighten some tax figures, such as the IBI, with a 2% reduction, to benefit families at a time when inflation squeeze
“This is the second phase of the failure of a government. Today's vote must be read as a disapproval of the government,” said Jordi Martí, spokesman for the commons, who insisted on the need for a left-wing pact, also with ERC. BComú already tried to reproach Collboni a few days ago in view of this plenary session, but gave up due to the lack of support from other groups, the confirmation of the agreement between PSOE and Sumar to govern Spain and waiting for a meeting between the mayor and Colau.
ERC was also very critical of Collboni. “The great challenges are not addressed, we do not know what their model is,” said Ernest Maragall, who regretted that the PSC “looks more to the right than the left” and tries to “sell the city in pieces” by satisfying private interests. .
Collboni also failed to obtain an endorsement for the terrace tax, which was voted separately after the government closed an agreement with the Gremi de Restauració that opened new possibilities to move forward. The support of the PP and Vox on this issue was not enough. Until the beginning of the plenary session, the meaning of Junts' vote, which was decisive, was not known. An abstention would have been enough to approve it. But Trias's group finally said no.
In the corridors Tremosa left the door open to seek a reduction in the rate. Since the government's proposal is not approved, as of January 1, the 2019 proposal must be applied without the 75% bonuses for 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 motivated by covid. The Junts councilor pointed out that a new bonus could be approved in an extraordinary plenary session in November. Valls was open to exploring formulas that allow this. Collboni promised to study “all avenues” to prevent these businesses from having to “pay for a lack of agreement.” With the full rate, the City Council plans to collect 8.2 million euros annually, while the formula agreed with the union would be 4.6 million.
