INTERVIEW DEMOCRATA.ES. CARMEN OBREGÓN POLITICAL DIRECTOR.
if I have the privilege of being elected president, I will shield the health budget and it will grow every year
If the Andalusians give me the strength to win the Junta, I will approve an eighth tax cut
we are going to deflate the regional income tax rate to combat inflation. It is a way to raise everyone's salary
We will provide mortgage guarantees covering 15% of the housing price
my government will have a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Technological Development
QUESTION-. Mr. Moreno, There are only a few hours left until the end of the 17M electoral campaign. A campaign that has been tough, with a tragic event such as the death of two civil guards in the line of duty, in Huelva, pursuing drug trafficking. This mournful event has forced the campaign to stop for two days
ANSWER-. It is outrageous and unbearable that drug traffickers roam freely throughout Andalusia. There are not enough resources, and for this reason, we have had to mourn the death of two excellent and irreplaceable public servants, Germán and Jerónimo. Two people who leave behind two shattered families and a shocked Andalusian people. For this reason and, after this mournful event, I decreed official mourning.
QUESTION-. You say you want to govern without crutches, without support, and you say it, I understand, to some extent, because of the reaction you have seen from some political parties these days
ANSWER-.Well, I have to tell you that, indeed, there have been political parties that chose to continue with the campaign. And, honestly, that doesn't make sense to me. So, yes, seeing such unedifying stances as what I have just highlighted, in the face of the mess, I think the most reasonable thing is to be better off alone than in bad company. That is why I insist that being alone is the only and best way to continue with a series of policies that have positioned Andalusia at the forefront of Spain's growth.
QUESTION-. In the debate, there has been a lot of talk about screening, about that crisis for which you asked for resignations, and for which, as a consequence, you have taken a package of measures and also made a number of hires. How is this issue going?, are these women being covered?, and what has changed from now on? Is there more investment, more staff? How was healthcare when you arrived at San Telmo, what bills did you find, and what is the snapshot?
RESPONSE-. I have explained it many times and I don't mind doing it one more time. We made a mistake and corrected it immediately. There was an information problem with 2,317 women, most of them in a hospital in Seville, I apologized, we approved a crash plan of 100 million and we took responsibility.
Through this plan, we immediately attended to the women and by November 30, tests were carried out on the 2,317. With this measure, screenings are carried out in a single act.
When I came to government, I had the ungrateful surprise of finding more than 500,000 patients on the waiting list for healthcare who were not included in the official statistics, in addition to obsolete infrastructure and a shortage of healthcare professionals. I remind you that, with María Jesús Montero, the Andalusian Health Service dismissed more than 7,500 healthcare workers and, on top of that, cut the budget allocated to healthcare by 15%.
Therefore, the picture today is that Andalusian healthcare is receiving record investment and, I will tell you in advance, if I have the privilege of being elected president, I will safeguard the healthcare budget and it will grow every year.
QUESTION-. Also during this last debate, we heard you say that Mrs. María Jesús Montero, former vice president and former minister of Pedro Sánchez's Government, that her policy was a fiscal hell. What can you tell us about taxation? What measures or tax cuts will your Government take if you win the elections?
RESPONSE-. Our government has approved seven tax cuts in seven years, which have saved Andalusians 1.8 billion euros. And, if the Andalusians give me their trust, we will promote an eighth. We have managed to position Andalusia among the autonomous communities where the least taxes are paid and we are going to deflate the regional IRPF tariff to combat inflation. It is a way of raising everyone's salary.
QUESTION-. Youth vote is very important in these elections. Slightly more than 350,000 new voters are joining. What is your program to attract young people who need training to adapt to new jobs, who need housing, who need to stay in their land, as the main engine of employment?
RESPONSE-. Andalusia is a land of opportunities and that is noticeable. While not many years ago, young people fled at the first opportunity, today they stay. And this is achieved with a series of measures that are based on: a zero quota for the self-employed - which allows new self-employed individuals, especially young people, to not pay Social Security contributions during the first two years -, a youth employment plan that incentivizes the first hiring, and aid for young people who want to start a business.
All of this entails an intrinsic need for emancipation, and for this, access to housing must be affordable. For this reason, we will facilitate this process with mortgage guarantees that cover 15% of the housing price and we will reduce the Property Transfer Tax for those under 35 years of age when they purchase their habitual residence.
QUESTION-. The macro numbers for Andalusia have improved considerably, and the change is notable. But there are still pending issues. What does Mr. Moreno plan to do if he wins the elections on March 17th? What can the PP candidate for the Junta de Andalucía do to turn this land into the Silicon Valley of Spain, as some economists predict?
RESPONSE-. It is true that, for some time now, Andalusia has experienced unprecedented technological growth, and we will continue to incentivize and promote it, focusing on 5G connectivity and aerospace development.
A stable and secure government will allow us to continue attracting multinationals through tax incentives and administrative simplification. Furthermore, if I have the honor of presiding over the Junta de Andalucía again, my government will have a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Technological Development.
Andalusia always looks to the future and a little beyond.
And, finally. This week you were with the former Vice President of Spain, and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, who was recently in charge of managing the reform of the regional financing model. We have also learned that the Government has used Next Generation funds to pay part of the pensions, while we read in El Confidencial that there is evidence of Zapatero's corruption… Do you believe that Spain has the money to adequately finance the Autonomous Communities in a balanced way and without favoritisms, and do you believe that Pedro Sánchez's Government is capable of doing so?
There is an undeniable fact: the current system is unfair and Andalusia is underfunded and loses 1.5 billion euros a year, which is quite something. The question is not whether there is enough money, but rather how it is distributed. Starting from these premises, it is clear that Pedro Sánchez is not capable because he does not achieve a balanced distribution, and I am not the only one saying this, some socialist community presidents also subscribe to this statement.
The sooner Pedro Sánchez calls elections and Alberto Núñez Feijóo wins them, the sooner these problems will be solved and the sooner we will have general budgets.