The disagreement over financing and Puigdemont’s absence focus the first debate of 12-M

The reform of financing model It is on everyone’s lips in Catalonia, but for now the positions of the political actors remain distant. These differences have been evident in an electoral debate organized this Monday by the employers’ association. Pimec, the first that has brought together the heads of the list of PSC, ERC, PP and Catalunya en Comú for the elections on May 12. Junts also participated in the meeting, although the former president Carles Puigdemont He has given his seat to Josep Rull, number three of the post-convergents. The Junts leader has declined to participate electronically in the debate held at the El Born memorial center.

The current president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonese, has demanded a Generalitat-State negotiation – “the only effective and viable negotiation is bilateral” – to promote the Catalan-style quota defended by the Republicans. An unacceptable position for savior Illawho has shared the need to improve the transfer of resources to Catalonia: “We cannot be the third to provide resources and the fourteenth to receive them. We must respect the principle of ordinality.”

The first secretary of the PSC has proposed the creation of a joint tax consortium between the State and the Generalitat, as stated in the Statuteand has reproached the dumping fiscal of those autonomies that, by virtue of their powers, reduce their own or assigned taxes.

On the other hand, the leader of the PP, Alexander Fernandez, has asserted that “Catalonia is a fiscal hell”, a catchphrase used in the employer circles of the community. Furthermore, he has claimed the role of his party in defining the regional financing model: “There have been two agreements to reform the system with Aznar and one with Zapatero.”

Tax relief: yes or no?

The relief of fiscal pressure has fallen on deaf ears during the interventions of Joseph Rull and Jessica Albiach, although for different reasons. Even agreeing in substance, the Junts candidate has considered it “impossible” to review taxes if financing is not addressed first. Likewise, he has issued a warning to the Government: “We will not approve the general budgets of the State if the fiscal deficit and the investment deficit are not compensated. This is what we have signed in the agreement with the PSOE.”

A direct message to Illa that Rull has transmitted in the absence of his boss political. By the way, the leader of Vox in Catalonia, Joan Garrigahas come to Born to complain that they have not been invited to the meeting.

For her part, the president of the commons has assured that the current Catalan tax system does not harm companies as in her opinion demonstrated by the good employment and foreign investment data. Given the lack of harmony between the parties, she has suggested the creation of an advisory body to agree on a “country proposal.”

Drought and airport

The lack of a lowest common denominator has also been perceived in other issues such as fight against drought –Albiach and Rull have clashed over the hydraulic investments carried out during the last decade– and the expansion of El Prat airport. “Barcelona airport is T-5 in Barajas,” Rull said, to which Illa replied that there is no management problem in El Prat. “We have an expansion problem, let’s not run away from studying,” responded the socialist leader.

Throughout the debate, hardly any sparks have flown between the participants, who have focused more on sell their electoral programs than in contrasting their points of view. Pimec’s economic debate will be followed by another organized by Cecot, while Promotion has refused to celebrate his own.