"You have to explain how you would finance it," says the vice president, who advances that companies have already recovered pre-pandemic benefits

MADRID, 3 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The First Vice President of the Government and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, rejected on Monday the proposal launched by the Second Vice President and Sumar candidate for the Presidency of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, to give 20,000 euros to the young people to train or undertake.

"Whoever proposes measures that consist of giving subsidies, aid, like this, without any kind of restriction, or level of income, or a specific objective, has to explain how they would finance it, because in the coming years we have to continue with a responsible fiscal policy ", Calviño stressed in statements to TVE collected by Europa Press.

Calviño has affirmed that the Executive of Pedro Sánchez, in the last five years, has carried out a policy that "works" and that is helping families and companies that need it, but at the same time reducing debt and deficit, "which is also very important for future generations."

The first vice-president has defended that economic policy must focus a lot on young people and has ensured that this is what the Government has done in recent years. In fact, she has highlighted, the Recovery Plan and all the use of European funds "think a lot about young people so that they can have healthy cities, connected towns, professional training and a first level education and access to decent housing" .

Regarding Díaz's proposal to reduce the working day by one hour, Calviño pointed out that there are more and more flexible working hours and recalled that the Government has already launched a pilot project to study the possibility of reducing working hours in the industrial field.

"And I have no doubt that in the next legislature, within collective bargaining and social dialogue, there will be progress in this direction," he added.

Regarding the PP's proposal to lower personal income tax for those who earn less than 40,000 euros a year, Calviño recalled that the Government has "lowered taxes a lot in this legislature", such as VAT on basic foods.

"What cannot be is that economic policy consists only of a promise of massive tax cuts, because that leaves a hole in public accounts," Calviño warned, adding that what this leads to later is make cuts in the welfare state.

Calviño also stressed that the Spanish economy "is doing well" at the macro level and "little by little" also at the micro level and, in this sense, referred to the report from the Observatory of Margins for companies that is going to be presented this Monday .

"And we are going to see that Spanish companies have already recovered their profits, the pre-pandemic margin levels," Calviño has advanced, noting that in some sectors these profits "have increased a lot", such as in the energy sector, which certifies that It was appropriate, in his opinion, to establish the extraordinary tax on this sector.

Calviño has also indicated that, with the drop in inflation and the rise in wages, families are improving their purchasing power and, if wages continue to rise, "Spanish families will soon be noticing how this good macroeconomic situation translates also in their day to day".