The Treasury now discards the benefits of pension plans and ignores Podemos

The Government of Pedro Sánchez will not eliminate, at least for the time being, the fiscal benefits of the pension plans. In the framework of the budgetary negotiations, Podemos has pressed the Executive so that the contributions to these products do not allow to reduce the tax base in the income statement, a measure that would affect the 9.6 million participants that exist in Spain and that would suppose the elimination of one of the last tools of deduction for the middle classes. The formation of Pablo Iglesias had demanded this suppression in more than one occasion, and the own minister of Property, Maria Jesus Montero, did not discard this possibility and was limited to ensure this week that «it is working on the totality of the IRPF». Today, however, sources of the Ministry have corrected the words of Montero and have assured Europa Press that it is not studying to modify and «far from it» to eliminate the fiscal reduction of the pension plans in the Income Tax of the Physical Persons (IRPF). The affirmation, therefore, supposes to ignore the exigencies of We can, and it takes place after a few days in which the Treasury had limited itself to defend that the average and low rents would not be affected by the fiscal revision that the Executive is going to carry out. Now, and after the refusal of the Ministry, it seems that the Executive discards to end the fiscal benefits of the pension plans. But for this it must face its government partners, something that could still lead to new modifications and actions as has already happened in other areas. In fact, Montero herself acknowledged this week that the measures that are going to be carried out are being decided in a consensual manner with the Iglesias party, and the strength that Podemos has can be observed, for example, in the changes of opinion that the PSOE has shown around the revaluation of pensions. In this sense, the Socialists assured at first that the benefits had to go up, at least, with the CPI, which was precisely what Podemos demanded. Later, the representatives of the PSOE in the Pact of Toledo as well as the Executive himself qualified his speech and was favorable to include other variables, but before the threat of the formation of churches to leave the aforementioned commission the socialist position changed again. More pressure on saving In any case, what does go on is the increase in the tax burden on savings, that is, on dividends, financial investments and capital gains. The argument of the Government – and also of Podemos – to carry out this measure is that high incomes must pay more, but the reality is that many middle incomes have shares or products that are going to be affected by this decision. Likewise, the middle class will also have to face the increase in taxes levied on diesel. The calculations of the Treasury are that «the average driver», which is the one who makes about 15,000 kilometers a year, must pay «3.3 euros more per month». The Government’s argument is that this tax is dissuasive and aims to reduce emissions, but at the same time exempts transporters and taxi drivers from this increase.