The general secretary of the PSOE of Castilla y León (PSOECyL), Carlos Martínez, has considered the final result of the reform proposal for the regional financing system to be unfair and insufficient due to the weighting criteria used. Nevertheless, he has positively valued that the central government has put the issue on the table and has reproached the PP for having "inhibited itself" from the debate.
Martínez made these statements this Thursday at a press conference in the Parliament, accompanied by the president of PSC-Units, Ferran Pedret, during joint working sessions between the socialist group of the Cortes of Castilla y León and the socialist group in the Parliament, which are being held between Thursday and Friday.
"That adjusted population criterion, we understand that it must have better weighting criteria, because the music sounds good, but with the final result we are not satisfied. And that is why we have described that final result as unfair and insufficient," he pointed out, insisting that the current design does not respond to the real needs of territories like Castilla y León.
He announced that this week the PSOECyL will send a proposal to the president of the Junta, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, so that the climate fund takes into account the maintenance of the forest mass, especially relevant in Castilla y León compared to other autonomous communities, as well as elements such as population dispersion and high demographic aging.
When asked if the proposal that will be taken to the Council of Fiscal and Financial Policy (CPFF), agreed with ERC, represents a closed model, he replied: "I believe that we are currently in a negotiation process" both with the parliamentary groups and with the different autonomous communities involved.
"They abandon their responsibilities"
Martínez has accused Mañueco and the regional presidents of the PP of lacking alternatives in terms of regional financing: "They abandon their responsibilities, they inhibit themselves from making any kind of proposal," he denounced, holding the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, responsible for this attitude and underlining that, in contrast, the Government is willing to face the discussion.
"Getting wet is not easy, and trying to find the meeting point between the conflict of interest that highly populated communities like Madrid, the Valencian Community, or Catalonia represent with respect to others, implies rolling up your sleeves, sitting down, and seeking consensus," he defended, calling for a broad perspective from all parties.
Regarding the option for Catalonia to collect personal income tax (IRPF), he stated that any formula implemented must ensure "the coverage of constitutional rights for people, regardless of where they reside," something that, in his opinion, is also not fully guaranteed at present.