Junqueras warns the PSOE: "The Catalan Treasury cannot be subordinated to the Spanish one."
Esquerra will also bring to Congress an initiative to manage all taxes


BarcelonaWith the bilateral commission between the Spanish government and the Catalan government set to meet on Monday regarding the new financing, the leader of the ERC (Republican Socialist Workers' Party), Oriol Junqueras, has made clear his party's red lines. In a context where the PSOE and ERC are deadlocked over the finalization of personal income tax collection, the leader of the Republicans has warned the PSOE that the Catalan Tax Agency cannot be subordinated to the Spanish tax agency. "The Catalan Treasury must coordinate with the other agencies, but it must be able to fully exercise its powers and functions and cannot be subordinated to the state agency. Furthermore, it must do so within well-defined timeframes," Junqueras made clear.
In this regard, the top leader of the Republicans has claimed the need for Catalonia to fully manage personal income tax: "It is the most important tax, which contributes 25 billion annually, and if Catalonia manages personal income tax in every sense, we would go from managing 5 billion euros to paying 30 billion." For this reason, he has urged an agreement at the bilateral summit on Monday. "We hope that the amount, management, and deadlines will be specified," he stressed.
He said this in the midst of talks between the PSOE and ERC to pass a law in Congress that would give Catalonia the capacity to collect personal income tax. According to the sources consulted, the content of the bilateral commission, which has been worked on by the Generalitat, the State and ERC, is practically finalized and will be limited to setting out in writing the principles of the new model, which will include ensuring ordinality, solidarity and the collection of personal income tax from Catalonia. The negotiation on the law that should allow the collection of personal income tax by the Catalan Tax Agency is more complicated: both parties are meeting this July to reach an agreement, since there is no understanding with the small print.
After expressing his "satisfaction" at convincing the governments of Catalonia and Spain to move towards a new financing and revenue collection model, Junqueras reiterated that the PSOE must now fulfill this commitment. At the same time, the ERC leader announced that his party will present legislative reforms to Congress in the coming days to ensure that the "target" but also "the rest of the tax system in the future," that is, all taxes.
"Under no circumstances will we stop fighting for what is good for Catalonia," said Junqueras, who is confident of receiving the support of the other parties that supported Pedrosánchez's investiture so that the Socialists need them. "The country," he added.
For this reason, the president of Esquerra has warned that if both President Salvador Illa and Sánchez want the support of the Republicans, both governments will have to work "clearly in defense of the interests of Catalonia." "We cannot aspire to new agreements if the current agreements, which are stalled both in the State and in Catalonia, are not fulfilled. "They will only be valid if Catalonia has all the necessary resources," he emphasized.
The First Vice President of the Spanish government and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, asserted that as long as the PSOE governs, "there will never be privileges for some territories over others." She said this from Cádiz, two days after the bilateral negotiations on financing. The Vice President asserted that the "territorial grievances" the PP is raising regarding the financing negotiations are "lies" and defended that the Socialists are working to "promote equality" for citizens.
The Comunes (Spanish Parliament) also pledged to "push" to "guarantee a good agreement for Catalonia on the financing model." In a speech at the National Council of Catalonia in Common, the coordinator, Candela López, affirmed that current financing is "insufficient for the country's challenges" and that a model is needed that "overcomes the system that favors Ayuso's fiscal system to the detriment of everyone."