Calviño asks not to "criminalize" the bank and expects a "constructive tone" at today's meeting

On the ECB rate hike: "It seems to me that with the evolution of inflation it is a measure that was expected"

MADRID, 22 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The first vice president and minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, has asked not to "criminalize" financial entities, after United We Can have proposed imposing sentences of up to 10 years in prison on companies that pass on the new extraordinary tax to the citizens.

"I don't think the solution lies in criminalizing, but rather in everyone pitching in and contributing to the response to the war," defended the vice president in an interview on TVE's 'La Hora de La 1', collected by Europa Press.

He has thus insisted that it is time for everyone to pitch in "starting with the sectors that are making extraordinary profits, which also have to help finance this response to the war."

Calviño explained that the Ministry of Finance is finishing finalizing details on the new temporary and extraordinary tax on banks and has advanced that in today's meeting with the highest representatives of the sector and of the entities there will be an "exchange of points of view " about the assessment, which he hopes will be "with a constructive tone".

"It is a meeting that I hope will take place in a constructive tone within the dialogue that we usually have with the sector," the vice president remarked.

In addition, Calviño believes that today's meeting is particularly timely, since it takes place the day after the important monetary policy decisions of the European Central Bank. In addition, the meeting is also scheduled to address the economic outlook, economic policy priorities and the implications of the monetary policy decisions adopted yesterday by the ECB.

Just about the 50 basis point rate hike announced yesterday by the ECB, Calviño has stated that he was not surprised. "It seems to me that with the evolution of inflation it is a measure that was expected", he assured.

In addition, he thinks it is very positive that this anti-fragmentation tool has been agreed upon, because what it means is that the ECB has a set of instruments to prevent a repetition of what happened ten years ago in the European debt markets.

He believes that in general, in general, the ECB's decisions have brought a situation of greater stability to the markets "which is very welcome in these times of so much turbulence."

In this turbulent context, to which is now added the uncertainties about the political drift in Italy, Calviño has assured that Spain is in a "relatively positive" position, and has recalled that all national and international organizations forecast GDP growth Spanish above 4% this year and 2% in 2023.

Despite this "slowdown" in growth, the economic head of the Government has assured that Spain has been preparing itself and the Executive has put in place measures to avoid the impact of this situation of uncertainty.

For this reason, regarding the measures against rising prices, Calviño differs from the "magic potions" of the Popular Party and has insisted that a general reduction in taxes "does not lower inflation."

In addition, he has criticized the autonomous communities governed by this party, which announce lower taxes while asking for more resources from the State and has lamented that some regions (alluding to Madrid) are closing primary health care while giving "caviar scholarships" to rich families.