The president of Petronor, in favor of the tax on the rich: "I gladly pay it"

The president of one of the most important companies in the Basque Country has positioned himself in favor of what is known as a tax on the rich.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
07 October 2022 Friday 11:47
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The president of Petronor, in favor of the tax on the rich: "I gladly pay it"

The president of one of the most important companies in the Basque Country has positioned himself in favor of what is known as a tax on the rich. Emiliano López Atxurra, president of Petronor, a subsidiary of the Repsol group, has broken a spear in favor of the new taxation of large fortunes and has underlined the importance of defending social cohesion in a situation like the current one. “It seems good to me, and I gladly pay for it. I say this in a personal capacity”, he has pointed out about the new taxation.

These statements were made in an interview on Radio Euskadi, in which he was questioned about the consequences of the current energy crisis and, in general, about the current geopolitical situation. In this context, López Atxurra himself, also president of Tecnalia and director of Repsol, has introduced the question of social cohesion and the need to preserve it as "an essential pillar of security", alluding to political phenomena, such as the triumph of Meloni in Italy, which could put the European project at risk.

“The interwar period is a good, negative example that should make us reflect. What each of us must reflect on from our own responsibility is that social cohesion is an essential pillar of security. And social cohesion leads to having to worry about society in general and, above all, about those fringes, increasingly important, unfortunately, that are currently in a delicate economic situation. Therefore, social cohesion, redistribution of wealth is important for European security”, he indicated.

Once this reading was done, López Atxurra was questioned by the interviewer about tax progressiveness: "I think that the sense of citizenship obliges us all to pay progressive taxes, for a simple and simple reason: pay taxes and manage well public resources means security. Paying taxes means that you can live in peace, that you can have a series of public services such as health, education or infrastructure.

“Therefore -he continued-, paying taxes is not bad, progressivity is not bad either, what must be clear in many cases is that the tax system is directly linked to efficiency in public management. Therefore, the Nordic countries do not have problems as we can have in southern Europe, because efficiency in the management of public resources is guaranteed. There is a conviction that what is paid is fair because it reverts to the cohesion and security of the entire country”, she has indicated.

Finally, alluding directly to the temporary taxation of large fortunes and also to the payment of the Wealth Tax, López Atxurra has clearly positioned himself in favor of it. “It seems good to me, and I gladly pay for it. I say this in a personal capacity. I have been educated in solidarity and social cohesion. My mother, who has turned 95 and lived through the War, educated us on two axes, John XXIII and Lehendakari Agirre. Social cohesion is important”, he pointed out.