The first vice president and minister of Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, has estimated the impact on public accounts of the support measures approved by the Government and validated by Congress for households and the sectors most affected by the war in Iran at more than 10 billion euros.
In his appearance before the Economy Commission of the Congress of Deputies, the economic head of the Executive detailed that the package of actions reaches a budgetary cost close to 10 billion euros, by adding what has been executed from March until the end of this month of September along with structural measures, such as the gradual reduction and subsequent elimination of the tax on the value of electricity production.
"We are talking about more than 10 billion in terms of the impact of support from this Government and the measures that were approved in Congress for households and for the sectors particularly affected," he emphasized.
Cuerpo explained that this fiscal effort has allowed, in some months, to cut the recorded inflation rate by up to one point and that, in the aggregate of these six months, it has contributed to alleviating approximately half of the increase in gasoline and diesel prices borne by families.
In light of the imminent expiration of most of the initiatives in force, the Government has held meetings in recent weeks with social agents and the sectors involved to analyze precisely the current context they face after a summer more difficult and complex than anticipated at the end of June.
"Perhaps a generalized message we take from these meetings is that the measures are having an effect and are helping them to compensate at least in part for the enormous rise in costs they are suffering as a consequence of this war and one of the requests is that we do not stop and that the shield is extended beyond this month of September," the minister pointed out.
In this context, next Tuesday, September 29, the Council of Ministers is expected to approve the new decree of aid against the inflationary crisis derived from the conflict in the Middle East.
Calls for a wage pact from employers and unions
The vice president revealed that, in the last meeting with social agents, he conveyed the request to repeat "the effort that was made in 2022" regarding a wage pact articulated through collective bargaining.
"This element of looking at the medium term and being able to have a joint vision of how to share the shock is something we need and therefore I encourage, encouraged and will continue to encourage both parties to sit down and make available of course everything we can to make this happen and to reach an agreement as soon as possible," the minister emphasized.