The Government warns that it will "never accept" Montero's financing proposal

Palm"We will never accept this proposal." This was the emphatic statement made this Friday by the First Vice President, Minister of Economy and Finance, and spokesperson for the Balearic Government, Antoni Costa, regarding the reform of the regional financing system proposed by the Spanish government. "Does Ms. [María Jesús] Montero want to make a mockery of the Balearic Islands?" he asked, referring to the Minister of Finance, and insisted that her proposal "doesn't include a single request" from the Islands. "The height of absurdity," he continued, "is the direct attack on our tax autonomy: we will never accept a system that forces us to raise taxes."

Although the Spanish government delegation in the Balearic Islands has defended the proposal and insisted that the territory would receive an additional 412 million euros under the new financing model, Costa has been highly critical. "It doesn't take into account either the transient population or population growth, and it reduces the weighting of insularity," he argued. "To top it all off, the ordinality is only applied to Catalonia." After Montero announced measures against tax dumping, Costa warned that if the government is forced to reinstate taxes like the Inheritance Tax, he will take legal action: "It violates the financial and tax autonomy of that region." However, if this "total red line" is lifted, the vice president said he was open to negotiating the remaining points.

The methods, "horrendous"

Costa hailed the possibility of debating the proposal at the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council (CPFF) next Wednesday as the only "good news." However, he deemed the way the Spanish government presented the main points "horrendous." "It's outrageous that Oriol Junqueras is negotiating a financing system that affects us all," he lamented. "Who does he think he is to represent the citizens of the Balearic Islands? He can't even govern in Catalonia."