For the Government, the wood of the 2023 budgets is dry and brushed and only lacks the varnish. The commons sealed their agreement last week. The PSC or Junts remain - or both at the same time, as the Catalan Executive insists - for the processing process to get underway. The negotiation phase with these two actors is advanced. The technical meetings have ended and appointments of a political nature are pending, according to the Cabinet of Pere Aragonès, to close an agreement. So much so that the spokesperson, Patrícia Plaja, has remarked that "today there is no sufficiently substantial element that does not allow" reaching a consensus "in the coming days" and has called on socialists and post-convergents to "not play with the calendar". Of course, the decree law to extend the 2022 budgets has been signed today. The signature is mandatory and technical as long as there are no new accounts ready by January 1.
The optimism of the Government contrasts in a certain way with the claims of the Catalan socialists and the post-convergents. The suspicion within the Palau de la Generalitat is that both the PSC and Junts manage the times at will for electoral purposes and that the wait has nothing to do with the inaccuracies about the initiatives that both put on the negotiation table: the macroproject the leisure complex in Vila-Seca (known as Hard Rock), the expansion of the B-40 highway and the El Prat airport. The ministers Laura Vilagrà and Natàlia Mas made it clear that these are "budgetary issues". In any case, the Catalan Executive, despite the fact that it keeps these issues out of the budget talks, repeats that all of them will be done as soon as there are positive urban planning and environmental reports.
In any case, the spokesperson for the Government, Patrícia Plaja, has been confident that this understanding will not be delayed. "It is not the Generalitat who is in a hurry, but the citizens of Catalonia", she has clarified at the press conference after the Executive Council this morning. “We understand that the ultimate purpose of political negotiation, especially on an issue that directly affects the day-to-day lives of the people of our country, students, workers, companies, social entities, schools, and hospitals, is to improve their conditions”, Plaja claimed.
For this reason, he has demanded that the approval not be extended "more than necessary" and has appealed to the maximum responsibility and to put aside "party interests". The social shock plan of 550 million euros or the aid in public transport, all agreed with En Comú Podem, are waiting. Also the 1,000 million more in the Salut folder or the 279 million destined for primary health care.
At the moment, the Government of Pere Aragonès has signed the mandatory decree law so that the 2022 accounts can be extended as of January 1 and so that the functioning of the administrations and public services can be guaranteed. This is a technical extension until the new numbers can be approved. Plaja has assured that this extension will be "for a few weeks", with which he has implied that the agreement for the 2023 accounts is close. It is in this line that he has applauded that the Parliamentary Table has enabled the second week of January in the Catalan Chamber. "It is a good sign that the negotiations are advancing," he opined.
If the agreement with Junts or the PSC seems to be close, with the commons it is closed. Proof of this is that the commitment to add a new fee to the Wealth Tax is already underway. The measure, temporary and valid for two years, is carried out to equate the tribute to that contemplated by the Government of Pedro Sánchez for large fortunes and thus prevent the proceeds in Catalonia from a tax ceded to the autonomous communities from going to the coffers of the State and the Generalitat do not lose income.
The Government's new tax involves creating a new tranche from the 20 million euros of assets that will be taxed at 3.5%, which will mean a collection of 12.3 million euros.
