The day that the government had marked in red to get breaststroke from a new climb from the minimum interprofessional salary and to confront its economic model with the right ended up becoming a boumeric. The announcement of the Ministry of Finance with which he formalized that, from now on, the SMI receptors would pay the income tax, not only caused a real pitched battle between the PSOE and Yolanda Díaz in the Press Room of La Moncloa after the council of ministers, but the unanimous rejection of the executive members. And with the support of the PP, which also bets on raising the minimum exempt, those parliamentary allies of Pedro Sánchez threaten to throw a pulse in Congress.
During the meeting of the Council of Ministers that approved on Tuesday the increase in the minimum interprofession The Departments of Finance and Work, according to all the sources consulted. And that is why, already difference from the conclave of last week in which friction between Yolanda Díaz and the Minister of Economy on account of the reduction of the working day did occur, in this case the atmosphere of the meeting was relaxed in the opinion of several of those present. According to adding, it was something agreed: to park the friction so that all the focus was taken by the increase in purchasing power of two and a half million workers.
But everything exploded less than an hour from the appearance before the press of the Second Vice President and Minister of Labor together with the Government spokeswoman, the Third Vice President and the Minister of Social Rights. The Ministry of Finance confirmed only a few minutes before that press conference that the minimum wage receivers would no longer be exempt from now on and genericly the payment of the Income Tax of natural persons. Something that, according to Díaz herself, learned by the media.
“There was neither deliberation in the Council of Ministers nor communication to anyone to add. I have learned by the media, ”said the Minister of Labor to Press Questions. Before, during his explanation of the measure, the issues of the journalists were not necessary for Yolanda Díaz to open fire against the Minister of Finance and candidate of the PSOE in Andalusia.
“In this graphic we see how the greatest affectation of the SMI is in Andalusia, with almost half a million receptors,” he said before, overshadowing that the measure involves raising 50 euros “to people who until doing nothing were poor” and of excluding the PSOE of the PSOE of the merits of the exponential rise in recent years. “From 2007 to 2016, with two different governments, 85 euros were uploaded. With two different governments, ”he highlighted in allusion to the PSOE and the PP. “In just five years we have uploaded 448 euros,” he said.
Already questioned directly by the journalists, the second vice president did not avoid the clash at any time, to the astonishment of the spokesman, Pilar Alegría, sitting right next to her. “The Ministry of Labor has done what the minimum wage had to be done. Fiscal pedagogy must be done in Spain. Not on whether to raise or lower taxes, but on who has to pay taxes. Fiscal justice begins above, not below. We just made a fiscal gift to the rentiers in Spain, I think that with that I answer the question. ”
“To highlight what the vice president says,” he interceded. “What is a clear position is the satisfaction of uploading the SMI. Sometimes, by the informative speed itself, we jump the screens too fast. When we arrived at the government, a worker charged 735 euros, now 1,184, ”he said.
In the Moncloa, where they regret that the noise of the anger in the coalition has overshadowed the rise of the SMI, assume that the strength of their congress partners and the PP can provide them with a short -term parliamentary wand. But they make a defense on the measure promoted by the Treasury and affirm to add the attitude shown. “Add needed to get the head because things are wrong, but they are wrong. The debate does not go from whether or not to pay taxes, if not if we are improving the purchasing power to the workers. And we are improving it and we want to continue improving, ”they argue in the socialist part of the Executive.
Add asks the Treasury to rectify
The voices of adding consulted regret in private that the PSOE has decided to “load a day that was good”, and believe that the mosquadilla has actually been made. Those of Yolanda Díaz, in any case, do not give the debate for closed and will continue to fight for the hacienda to rectify. “From adding we want who has more contribution and the income of 16,500 euros a year are exempt as they have been so far in our country,” said Diaz at a press conference while the parliamentary group announced that they will register a proposal of law to go up the minimum exempt and equate it to the new minimum wage.
Sumar has that parties such as the PP, always in favor of tax drops, would easily give their votes in favor of a proposal like this. And that is why they launch an order to the PSOE to force the negotiation and force the PSOE to rectify, without having to reach such an image in Congress.
“We aspire to win this battle just as we have won all the battles referring to respect for the agreements,” said the spokeswoman to add in Congress, Verónica Martínez. They maintain those of Díaz that, if the government’s socialist wing maintains its pulse with this decision, there is time to take measures in this regard until June next year, the month in which the deadline for the 2025 income statement ends.
His economic spokesman, Carlos Martín, claimed in his social networks that if the problem is collection, the government has other ways, such as the tax on capital income or business margins. “If Hacienda had fulfilled this compromise of the government agreement today we would have much less workers charging the SMI, no one would discuss their exemption (which is usual in European countries with minimum wage) and IRPF collection would have increased,” he added.
Common Front Against Finance
Add, Podemos and the popular have already announced the registration of two law propositions to return the exemption to the beneficiaries of the SMI if the Treasury does not rectify, something that in the Moncloa discards flat despite the almost unanimous positioning of partners. “It is a burial that this is done to the people who charge so little, it is good that the SMI is uploaded but it is not good that it is punished in that way,” ERC spokesman reacted in the halls of Congress, Gabriel Rufián .
In very similar terms, EH Bildu, another of the executive’s left allies, is manifested. “EH Bildu does not share the position of the government and the PSOE to tax people who charge the SMI. First, because it is a direct cut on the increase in the amount of the SMI. Second, because it is not a measure that is consistent with the principles of progressivity, since this progressivity must begin with the highest income, not because of the lowest. In addition, it will especially affect single and mostly young people, one of the sectors that suffer most precariousness and inequality, ”they argue.
From the PNV, although they avoid explicit criticism to the Treasury they also open the door to amend the step taken on Tuesday in the Congress of Deputies. “I understand the position of the Treasury, but I also understand that you have to try to help those people in worse situation. The debate is not over yet and the political discussion in the media and in the Chamber will continue, ”said Aitor Esteban.
In the PP, meanwhile, they do not hide their satisfaction with the open crack in the coalition government. “We are going with Yolanda,” Ironized in the halls of Congress a prominent member of the National Directorate of the party leading Alberto Núñez Feijóo after the angry press conference after the Council of Ministers.
The popular have risen to the car with two law propositions in Congress and the Senate also with the declared intention of exempting workers who charge the SMI of the IRPF payment. Before knowing the decision of the Ministry of Finance to force for the first time to pay the perceptors of the minimum wage, Feijóo requested the exemption in an intervention before the deputies and senators of his party.
“This government wants to make a box at the expense of those who charge the minimum wage staying with half of the climb,” he said. “I reiterate my request now that the Council of Ministers is being held that the IRPF of the new minimum wage is adjusted and that the amounts of the minimum wage do not tax in the income tax of the natural persons so that the main winner is not the Government, ”he added.
This 2025, 20% of the minimum wage perceptors (around 16,500 euros gross per year) will pay IRPF. There are about half a million people of the 2.5 million workers who charge the SMI in Spain. Many of them, young people, in their first jobs. In hospitality and agriculture, mainly. The remaining 80% are still free to make the income statement, because its minimum exempt increases a little more for deductions for caring for other people, and having them in charge.
Source: www.eldiario.es
