Prohens reduces regional taxes on housing for young people and heirs

PalmaPre-electoral general policy debate marked by housing. As expected, President Marga Prohens has launched several announcements in this line: the most notable, the elimination of regional taxes for those under 36 and people with disabilities in the purchase of their first home, as well as the tax on property transfers and documented legal acts. And also, fulfilling the opposition's predictions, she has lashed out at the Spanish government for its handling of immigration. "Not everyone can fit here," she said, and remarked that if direct returns of migrants to Ceuta can be made, "they must also be able to be made to the Islands".

In a plenary session in an electoral key, Prohens was dragged into talking about housing due to the debate surrounding the Maricarmen case. But she did not give up on highlighting the Ceuta crisis to call into question Pedro Sánchez's government, an area where the Popular Party feels more comfortable. According to Prohens, the crisis in Ceuta has shown "how far the neglect and renunciation of the state government's functions goes," she snapped. "No, not everyone can fit here, and especially not irregular immigration, those who do not come to contribute, to integrate, to respect our laws and our values," she proclaimed, and highlighted the 25,000 migrants who have arrived on the Balearic coasts by boat in the last 5 years. Furthermore, she also accused the Spanish government of "looking the other way" in the face of the "limit situation" of arrivals being experienced in Formentera, where 3,266 immigrants have arrived by boat this year.

Housing, at the center of the debate

"Unlike others, we have not just discovered the housing problem now, nor do we have to start inventing decrees," the president defended, who made several promises regarding housing. Regarding the elimination of regional housing taxes for young people, she highlighted that, additionally, citizens between 36 and 40 years old will pay half of these taxes. In parallel, she has put on the table an increase from 30 to 45 million euros in the New Youth Mortgage fund and an increase in resources for direct aid of 10,000 euros for the purchase of housing.

Despite avoiding reference to the Maricarmen decrees promoted by the Spanish government, she made indirect mention of a criticism often leveled at her by the opposition: that she refuses to cap rental prices, as state law allows her to do. In this sense, she attacked housing proposals that "have failed wherever they have been applied" and the "populist recipes that want to impose their ideological model on us".

Prohens also assured that the Government is promoting the creation of more than 10,000 affordable homes derived from the Residential Emergency Decree. She also claimed the establishment of a legal residence requirement of between 5 and 18 years to access public housing, and the allocation of tourist tax funds to housing, in addition to the reinforcement of the Secure Rental program and the maintenance of the deduction for landlords. In the same vein, she defended a housing plan with 50 new measures, an impact of 3 billion euros and 87,000 beneficiaries for the next legislative term from 2027 to 2031. In parallel, she announced a 75% increase in the inheritance tax bonus for inheritances between siblings, uncles, and nephews.

When she announced that a part of the tourist tax will be allocated to housing, Prohens received applause from the left-wing benches, since in the previous legislative term a part of this tax was dedicated to housing, until the current Government eliminated it.

Spending ceiling of 7.16 billion euros

The president explained that the Government is preparing, despite the proximity of the elections, a new budget with a spending ceiling of 7.16 billion euros for 2027, the highest in history. In total, the president made about thirty announcements. Among them, that a new health center will be opened in Son Ferriol, that 25 million euros will be injected into the Balearic Islands Transport (TIB) to incorporate 24 new buses into the network, and that the number of psychologists in Primary Care will reach 61. Furthermore, in the coming weeks, she will tender a new Maternal Center aimed at pregnant women and those with minor children who need temporary accommodation and comprehensive care. Looking ahead to the 2027 fiscal year, Prohens announced that the health centers in Pollença and Son Dureta will be opened, and night trains will be launched on weekends, in addition to expanding free adapted leisure activities for dependent youth.

She also recalled that the cruise passenger cap will be applied (a measure that comes from the previous Pact Government) and a new tax package aimed at housing will be activated. The speech regarding tourist containment and the demographic challenge that the president already put on the table in the previous general policy debate was once again present in this speech, which lasted an hour and a half. "We will not fall into any contradiction: we cannot continue growing in the number of tourists on our Islands, nor can we continue growing in population," she said.

Education: "We must return to paper and pen"

Regarding Education, Prohens has defended the progressive limitation of the use of tablets and laptops up to the fourth year of ESO. "We must return to paper and pen, to notes, to underlining an important idea or concept, to hand-drawn diagrams and conceptual maps; return to books, to the concentration and attention of students," she asserted. She also presented a bill to assume direct management of all municipal and island-run 0-3 preschools, and announced the development of a comprehensive investment plan in climate control for educational centers, as well as the promotion of 40 homes for teachers relocated to Formentera.

Healthcare: increase in assisted reproduction cycles

Regarding Health, Prohens has promised the promotion of 80 homes in Can Misses, in Ibiza. Furthermore, she has announced the increase from three to four assisted reproduction cycles in the public healthcare system. In the same vein, she has proposed the renovation and construction of new operating rooms at Son Espases, the start of works at the Verge el Toro Hospital, the opening of the new intermediate care hospital at Son Dureta, and the creation of the new mental health day hospital at the Son Llàtzer hospital.

"We have defended the language like never before"

Vox applauded the president's speech except for one part, during which members of the parliamentary groups showed expressions of disapproval: the one related to language. Prohens defended the PP's red lines regarding linguistic matters. Despite having agreed to setbacks in the Catalan language requirement for Healthcare and the civil service, the popular party member asserted that the government has "defended" Catalan "like no other Government in this community had ever done before." "Laws, decrees, and budgets have fallen to defend the language of these Islands," she claimed.