The Treasury discards increasing scholarships and eliminating the pharmaceutical copayment in this legislature

The Treasury discards increasing scholarships and eliminating the pharmaceutical copayment in this legislature

Minister Montero proposes giving more funding to the autonomous communities for the improvement in the collection of the main taxes

   The Minister of Finance has confirmed on Tuesday that the Government will not stop working until the last day and explained that "from here to the elections" all the Councils of Ministers "will be loaded with measures that improve the daily life of the people » At an information breakfast organized by Europa Press, María Jesús Montero opened the door to approve the updating of deliveries on behalf of the communities, although "not for this Friday".

  The objective is that the autonomies «can elaborate their budgets» to increase the spending on transferred subjects such as Education, Health or Housing. Although he did not give many clues about what can be approved before the April 28 elections, he made it clear that the scholarship increase and the elimination of the pharmaceutical copay will not be able to go in this legislature because the Government is "responsible" with the measures approved by royal decree that suppose an increase of the expense because it does not have new income that can sustain them without General Budgets of the State.

In addition, the minister confirmed that the royal decree approved by the Council of Ministers from here to the end of the legislature can be endorsed by the permanent deputation because the Cortes have been dissolved: "it is allowed by the Chamber's regulations," Montero said. "We justify it in royal decrees because they are measures of extraordinary necessity," he explained.

More money for communities

Also, the minister confirmed that they are studying the options for the possible update of the installments on account for the autonomous communities. He said that the Executive intends to update these deliveries by improving the collection of the main taxes. On the other hand, he assured that they will not incorporate the income linked to the tax increases that were raised, and recalled that the only time that the on-account deliveries were approved outside Budgets was in 1996, so "legally it is viable" .

Although it will not see the light in the Council of Ministers this Friday, but in the following (March 8), the Treasury is making the calculation of the final figure, since the amount of 9,000 million collected in the 2019 Budgets could vary from make an adjustment in accordance with the budget extension in the absence of income necessary to offset the deliveries. Subsequent to the elections, a new distribution for the regions could be approved.

On the other hand, the minister confirmed that the state deficit will end the year "between 2.2% and 2.4%" , since the government has no margin to push new taxes or apply a tax reform since they can not approve fiscal measures by decree. Montero said that communities and municipalities meet their deficit targets, but Social Security and the State will not do so because "Rajoy Budgets were not done with respect" to the growth figures.