argia.eus
INPRIMATU
PP, Vox, PNV and Junts strengthen the abolition of excise duty on energy
  • On Thursday these four political forces refused to extend the tax imposed on large energy companies. The Government of Spain imposed a special tax on the huge profits of the energy multinationals following the war in Ukraine.
Xabier Letona Biteri @xletona 2024ko abenduaren 20a
Miriam Nogueras eta Aitor Esteban Sabin Etxean. EFE

The energy tax has been on the axis of the Government of Spain in the General Budgets of Spain of 2025. The Government of Madrid wanted to extend the tax on renewable energies, and to this end it had the support of Podemos, ERC, EH Bildu and BNG. The PNV and the Boards, which throughout the legislature are supporting the Government, have already pointed out that they did not allow it and that has been the case.

Consequently, the PP has been pleased to have been able to take the initiative of the Government of Pedro Sánchez and has pointed out that what has happened is that “the parties of the right will be gathered”. The popular want to show time and time again that PNV and Junts have more ideological equality with them than with those who support the government.

The PNV and JxYes have argued that energy multinationals are decarbonising and will have to make major investments in this field in the coming years. In addition, aid from all kinds of entities is being processed to support this task and it therefore makes no sense for this effort to be disbursed from taxes.

We will now have to see how the Sanchez Government satisfies its leftist partners to get its support for the 2025 budgets, which promised to prolong the energy tax. The government has already told them that it will keep taxes on renewables by decree in 2025, but the right-wing forces say that taxes cannot be changed by decree. The Government, however, believes that this is possible if it is not to change the nature of taxes, but to extend them. The Government will hold its last annual meeting on Monday, the day on which the prestigious Decree is expected to be adopted, according to the Diario Vasco report.

Impact on CAPV budgets

We will have to see how the state budgets remain for 2025, but if the energy tax is finally abolished, the general budgets of the CAV that are approved this Friday will be reduced by 67 million, according to Gara journalist Iñaki Iriondo.

The CAV General Budgets will be approved this Friday with the support of the PNV and the PSE: The budget amounts to EUR 15,728 million, which is EUR 703 million more than last year (4.7%). Of these, EUR 12,686 are provided by the Foreign Ministers, while the rest is collected by the Basque Government. The budget is available on this link from Irekia.

General Budget of Navarra: EUR 5,987 million

This Thursday the budget was approved in the Parliament of Navarre, 2.6% higher than last year, with the votes in favour of PSN, Geroa Bai and Tú Zurekin, the abstention of EH Bildu and the votes against UPN and Vox. The budgets clearly reflect the political majority of the last decade in Navarre: ten consecutive budgets have already been approved in the same way, the first four with the government of Uxue Barkos and the last six with that of María Chivite.

This Friday, the budgets of the three foreign ministers will also be approved. In Araba and Bizkaia, EH Bildu has agreed to negotiate amendments with the PNV and the PSE, while in Gipuzkoa there has been no agreement and the jeltzales and the PSE will hold the accounts with pp.