Spain steers away from wealth tax

Author (Person)
Series Title
Series Details 2.9.11
Publication Date 02/09/2011
Content Type

Article reports that Spain has followed Italy in the late summer of 2011 in backing away from a wealth tax that would raise government revenue and oblige the rich to bear more of the burden of economic austerity.

Instead the Socialist Government and the opposition PP politicians have instead focused their attention on a planned amendment to the constitution that would cut Spain’s public debt and entrench budget prudence from 2020.

However, later in September 2011 articles suggested that Spain’s Socialist government had resurrected a hotly contested plan to impose a wealth tax in 2012, according to party leaders eager to spread the burden of austerity and reassure financial markets that the country will control its budget deficits.

Related Links
El País, 13.9.11: Madrid to coerce regions into accepting wealth tax http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Madrid/to/coerce/regions/into/accepting/wealth/tax/elpepueng/20110913elpeng_4/Ten
ESO: Background information: Zapatero proposes constitutional limit on deficit http://www.europeansources.info/record/zapatero-proposes-constitutional-limit-on-deficit/
El País, 31.8.11: Socialists press Rubalcaba to champion wealth tax http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Socialists/press/Rubalcaba/to/champion/wealth/tax/elpepueng/20110831elpeng_11/Ten
Wikipedia: Spanish general election, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_general_election,_2011

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