Pimec demands from the Government a fund to compensate the investment not executed in Catalonia

  • The employers’ association of SMEs denounces that since 2013 only 66% of the investments planned in Catalonia have materialized

Pimec calls on the Government to create a common fund with which to compensate those territories where not all the planned budgetary investment is executed. The employers’ association of small and medium-sized companies in Catalonia has proposed this measure this Tuesday in order to compensate for the “loss of competitiveness” derived from the lack of materialization of the investments provided for in the General State Budgets in Catalonia. The president of the entity, Antoni Cañete, has denounced that between 2013 and 2020 only one 66% of the planned investment. On the other hand, the employers have denounced that the accounts “are not sensitive” to the current economic situation because “they are not focused” on the productive sectors. Cañete has assured that “only” 8% of the expenses foreseen in the State budget are dedicated to the productive sectors directly, 13% in the case of Catalonia.

The employer’s association has claimed to address a new financing model for Catalonia “urgently” and has reiterated its demand that SMEs participate in these reforms through the state’s social dialogue table. “The lack of representation of SMEs to the labor reform is a reportable element,” he criticized. On the other hand, Pimec has asked to implement policies favorable to private investment, consumption and small and medium-sized companies to bring the economy closer to the “optimistic” forecasts included in the budgets of both the State and the Generalitat.

Cañete has considered that the macroeconomic picture of both budgets is “unrealistic”. The State accounts contemplate a growth of the economy of 7% in 2022, while those of the Generalitat foresee an increase in GDP of 6.4%. These figures are higher than those estimated by the Bank of Spain (5.9%), the European Comission (5.5%) and the forecast panel of Funcas (5.7%). In the case of the CPI, the accounts forecast an inflation of 1.5% in 2022 and a growth in labor costs of 1.5%. These figures are much lower than the CPI anticipated by the Funcas forecasting panel (2.4%) and it is well below the interannual CPI registered in October this year, of 5.5%. On the other hand, the State foresees a 5% increase in consumption and the Generalitat estimates an increase of 6%. Likewise, the Catalan and Spanish governments have a forecast of increases in investment of 12%.

Alert on European funds

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Pimec has warned of the existence of “important doubts and uncertainties”, such as the possible impacts of the outbreaks of the pandemic, the rise in the prices of energy and raw materials or the evolution of collective bargaining and wage increases by 2022, among others. On the other hand, the entity chaired by Cañete has warned of some “uncertain income” derived from the increase in tax bases and the European funds. These have to suppose an income of more than 27,000 million euros in 2022, provided that the State complies with the executions. Even so, the employer’s association has recalled that the execution of European funds is an “endemic problem” of the State and has warned that of the 20,000 million euros budgeted for 2021, the State has only executed one 20%, equivalent to 5,700 million euros.

The business organization has celebrated the minimum taxation for large companies and credit institutions as a “milestone” that equates them to many SMEs, which have historically paid higher effective corporate rates than large corporations. Even so, the bosses have assured that there is still a long way to go to achieve progressivity. The employer’s association has also affirmed that it is necessary to face a fiscal reform “more ambitious“that reduces compliance costs for small companies, favors investment and business capitalization and improves legal certainty, among others. In this sense, the representatives of the employers have warned that the planned increase in social contributions, planned Within the pension reform, it could hinder job creation and will have a negative impact on the self-employed group.

Reference-www.elperiodico.com

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