On
Monday, the Municipal House initially approved the 2014 budget with the
favorable vote of the three parties that make up the Municipal Government (CiU, SGI and NH) and also PSC. Seventeen
of the twenty-one councilors of the municipal corporation endorsed the
document, that attest the general lines of our local government, administration and management for the next year. The 2014 budget will have a
heavy social bias and will include our plans to lower tax burden, as we
announced.
The
agreement between the government and the PSC for the approval of the budget is
the result of negotiations carried out in recent weeks. The high sense of
responsibility and the clear
desire of both parties will allow the Council to perform actions promoting
necessary social expenditures, and at the same time reducing to the extent
possible the tax burden of residents, and will allow the implementation the
Budget that Sitges needs under the present circumstances. It will be a budget for a crisis, which is the context in which we
live, but it will be a useful tool to implement measures to support people who
are suffering, and at the same time, reduce the tax burden supported by middle
classes.
Thanks
to this agreement, we will be able to reduce property tax, garbage fee and
capital gains tax, and other fees such as the urban bus ticket. The agreement will also allow an increase in the number of
implementations of our social policy by 6.8% over the year and 2.6% for public
safety.
The
policy of budgetary and expense control that we applied during the last two
years allowed a partial reduction of taxes and an increase in social policies.
During these two years we had to make unpleasant decisions that meant
sacrifices and had a direct impact on the socio-cultural fabric of the town, including local festivals, certain utilities and all municipal officials
and employees. Decisions were difficult but necessary to ensure the proper development of most services, especially social
ones, which are the focus of our policy.
Now,
thanks to the policy of spending cuts and budgetary control, we can reduce tax burden and enhance the lines of social support.
We will continue the strict control of public spending, with the rigor and
sense of responsibility that has become our trademark, because we are managing
public money. But it is also true that the most painful decisions will not
happen again.
I want
to stress the attitude shown by all parties that back this agreement, the PSC
in particular, that acted having in mind the general interests and not party interests.
And it is worth noting as it
deserves. Sitges will be the
ultimate winner.
