The Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday a new package of anti-crisis measures amounting to a total of 10,000 million euros and which represents the sixth of those approved since the start of the war in Ukraine in February. With this latest impulse, the Government has approved measures worth 45,000 million euros to protect the layers of the population most affected by price increases. In this case, they focus on the most vulnerable sectors and families, in contrast to generic measures that are either extemporaneous or have turned out to be counterproductive and even regressive, such as the general subsidy on fuel prices, which is only convenient for certain professional sectors. The Executive proposes a new check of 200 euros for the families most exposed to the effects of prices. The 15% increase in the minimum vital income and non-contributory pensions is maintained. The limitation of the rental price and the six-month extension of the VAT reductions in electricity and gas will continue during 2023, both of which are controversial measures due to their long-term effects. VAT will be eliminated on certain staple foods. The continuity of the Iberian mechanism will mean a considerable reduction in the costs of electrical energy. Finally, the Government extends support to the sectors most affected by the price of energy, such as ceramics, and guarantees discounts for public transport, with the co-responsibility of the rest of the administrations.
With this approach, more focused on the effects of the crisis on families with fewer resources and on the most affected sectors, Spain complies with the recommendations put forward by the IMF and the European Commission, which called for concentrating aid on the most affected sectors . The cost of the new aid package must be taken into account in the calculation of the reduction of the public deficit for 2023 and 2024. It is a more solid and thoughtful program than the previous ones. With the precautions imposed by the volatile geopolitical situation, aid should be gradually reduced as inflation returns to normal.
