Together they propose limiting guaranteed income and putting an end to "the culture of subsidies"

BarcelonaEnding the "culture of dependency" and "rewarding a culture of hard work" is one of the proposals in Junts' plan to rebuild the middle class, which it believes is on the verge of disappearing. The party proposed the special plenary session that began this Tuesday, where it outlined a complete overhaul of the current subsidy model, reformulating and significantly limiting the guaranteed minimum income, which was approved in July 2017 by the government led by Carles Puigdemont and Oriol Junqueras. This also indirectly represents an amendment to the Spanish minimum living income model. Junts members demand that a "culture of work" prevail in the definition of public policies and, therefore, call for a "reorganization of the system of aid and subsidies." The way to do this is to directly link the guaranteed minimum income to labor market activation, that is, to job seeking. "Benefits for people capable of working should be temporary and linked to training and effective job placement," they emphasize in their proposals. In this regard, they advocate "strengthening active employment policies connected to the productive sector so that aid becomes an instrument of autonomy and not dependency." Thus, coordination between the Catalan Public Employment Service (SOC) and the guaranteed minimum income benefit would become an absolute necessity. This, according to Junts sources, is a "complete change" to move from benefits for barely surviving to a labor-focused approach aimed at guiding people towards "decent work." Junts' idea is that unconditional guaranteed minimum income benefits should be exclusively for people unable to work, such as those with disabilities, while the vast majority should have a work-oriented approach. This proposal is reminiscent of unemployment benefits received when one is entitled to unemployment benefits, although these are the exclusive responsibility of the State.

There are 41,500 annual beneficiaries of the guaranteed income, while the Spanish minimum living income reaches another 75,000 families in Catalonia (these benefits are incompatible with each other). The criterion for access is basically family income. However, it is a requirement to remain registered with the Catalan Employment Service (SOC) and not to refuse "a suitable job offer".

The other measures

One of the conclusions reached by the Junts party is that the current welfare system is sustained by an increasingly impoverished middle class and is directed toward a sector of the population that also needs to be required to contribute in return. "All those who can work, who have the capacity to work, should be supported toward decent work, but not toward a guaranteed subsidy," stated parliamentary spokesperson Salvador Vergés at a press conference. Thus, they envision the subsidy as a temporary measure, but they also bring immigration into the debate: Vergés also lamented that "the country has not been sufficiently developed" to guarantee the needs of its citizens. The liberal leanings of Junts are also evident in other proposals: they advocate lowering taxes through the deflation of personal income tax and a reduction in other taxes, in addition to a tax break on inheritance tax; managing immigration with their own powers; and achieving a special economic agreement to address the country's material needs. They also demand a series of transfers, such as that of the commuter rail network, position the Catalan language as a "social elevator," and propose reversing the housing crisis through "public-private partnerships" and "activating land," in addition to establishing a Catalan reference minimum wage of €1,400. They also do not shy away from criticizing Salvador Illa's government, calling for its censure for "mismanagement" and "dependence" on the Spanish government, which they claim "affects" citizens and "endangers social mobility."

Government Response

In the plenary session, Vergés criticized the PSC government for forgoing "the 20 billion-plus euros" of the economic agreement for the "4 billion euros" that the approval of the Spanish budget in the Congress of Deputies would represent for Catalonia, while insisting that the only solution is "to join the rest of Spain." During the Government's turn, both the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, and the Minister of Social Rights, Mònica Martínez Bravo, congratulated the members of the Assembly for initiating the debate, but also warned them that their proposed formula of lowering taxes "will not reduce inequality," which is growing despite the tax burden. The Minister admitted that she herself is a product of social mobility, which may have been slowed by global trends to which the welfare state has not been able to adapt. Furthermore, he argued that it still functions thanks to actions undertaken by Isla's administration, such as free education for children aged 0-3, the commitment to putting thousands of homes on the market, and the reorganization of social services to make them more efficient.