The VOX spokesperson in the Zaragoza City Council, Julius calvo, announced this Tuesday the "conditions" that it has proposed to the municipal government. In order to have the favorable vote of the two VOX councilors for the approval of the budgets for the next fiscal year.
In the first place, the Government must "assume that we are in a situation of genuine economic emergency." Something that can be seen in indicators such as "the year-on-year decline in GDP." Therefore, "the City Council cannot expect to continue to maintain the same income from taxes and fees”. Since there has been a "dramatic reduction in family income and the turnover of freelancers, merchants and companies." "Income must accommodate the evolution of Zaragoza's GDP", he sums up.
Julio Calvo demands "compliance with the agreements reached for the 2020 budgets." And as a result of the pandemic they have been "parked" or have been applied "very partially". This is the case of the creation of the Office of Attention and Help for Pregnant Women, inside the House of Women. As approved in a motion on November 29, 2019.
In the same way, it calls for prioritizing "investments in financially sustainable infrastructure and with social return over current spending", unless they are intended "to alleviate social emergency situations derived from the coronavirus pandemic."
VOX considers "essential" several operations of "spending reduction”. Among them is the reduction of development cooperation subsidies. And this for three reasons: “The needs of the needy sectors of the city must be prioritized. They are grants that overlap with the rest of Aragonese institutions. And it should be a unique, exclusive and non-delegable competence of the Government of Spain ”. A very similar situation is that of the “alternative leisure”. Whose spending can have "much more useful and necessary destinations."
“In addition, there is an Aragonese Youth Institute that could assume this type of competence. We are faced with a new competency overlap ”, laments Calvo.
Cost containment
The VOX spokesperson calls for other "cost containment" measures. As the "reduction of contributions to municipal groups. VOX will take to the State of the City Debate a normative proposal to reduce this figure by 80%. The significant reduction in direct grant agreements (there are 8.7 million euros budgeted for this in Chapter 4). Reduction to 50% of the subsidies to the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Zaragoza and the Cesaraugusta Neighborhood Union. Elimination of all subsidies and agreements with social agents CCOO, UGT, CEOE and CEPYME. And reduction of protocol and communication expenses ”. Other "minor and superfluous expense" that has alluded to is the "Association of Former Councilors."
The Municipal Group also advocates for the “elimination of all items destined or linked to the Historical Memory or Democratic Memory”. Because "the City Council cannot spend money on this type of sectarian and revisionist policies." Regarding culture, VOX asks for a study of the unification of the Culture Area, Cultural Zaragoza and the Municipal Board of Performing Arts. "In compliance with the recommendation of the auditor."
Aid for paying taxes
On the other hand, in terms of expenses, VOX aspires that the municipal government maintain “aid for paying taxes”For vulnerable sectors. As well as "prioritizing subsidies aimed at alleviating situations of social emergency and revitalization of the productive fabric."
Regarding the area of Equality, Julio Calvo emphasizes that “the issues of sexual identity should be left out of the political debate and stop being part of political action and budgets ”. "Fortunately, right now there is no one who can claim discrimination based on sexual identity in our city," he says.
Other important issues, at the discretion of VOX, is "a negotiation with the Government of Aragon to reach an agreement that guarantees sufficient, predictable and stable funding for IMEFEZ." Otherwise, it will be necessary to go to the "return of competences".
Finally, Julio Calvo has asked "to review the usefulness and specify the objectives" of the Zaragoza City of Knowledge Foundation and Ebrópolis.
