Montoro parks the rise in the diesel tax: "They want to approve it from Aznar and they don't do it because it's unpopular"

The war in Ukraine -and all the economic consequences that have derived from it- already postponed last March, as this newspaper reported, the large tax increase that

, Minister of Finance and Public Administration of Spain, intended undertake before the legislature came to an end.

The Treasury then decided to wait for the storm to clear and the high inflation that was devastating Europe, and de facto Spain, would give the national pocket a break.

However, the storm is getting worse.

The head of the Treasury wanted not only to raise the tax on fuels - a measure that had the support of important international organizations, such as the IMF, "in Spain there is room", they pointed out - but also to eliminate the fiscal privilege that diesel enjoys with respect to of gasoline.

This is the difference in the tax burden that both hydrocarbons have and that causes diesel to be, as a general rule, cheaper at the pumps.

Thus, and despite the fact that this point in fiscal matters was already hinted at in 2018, from Moncloa they understand that "it is not the most suitable moment",

that will be approved for the coming course.

This was confirmed this morning by María Jesús Montero herself in her interview with

: "This is not the time to launch any new taxation in this regard," she clarified.

This tax benefit, which has existed "for almost a century", sources from the hydrocarbons sector point out to EL MUNDO, has been the subject of debate by several Executives throughout history.

"

they commissioned us a report to give our opinion and we said that we agreed to match it, that it makes sense", they point out.

The same sources argue that none of the governments that have followed one another since then "has dared" to undertake this reform in view of the fact that it would be "

"for those users of diesel vehicles. On the eve of a year full of political commitments, the reality is that Moncloa has ended up discarding a measure that was about to be included in the General State Budget in 2021 -the PNV stopped it- and that, the minister herself, came to quantify, and promise before the Community Executive.

This tax difference has its origin in the use that was given to diesel in the past.

Until Europe began to manufacture cars powered by this fuel, only the professional sector used it.

"It is not explained that a person, depending on the car he has, pays more or less taxes. In our opinion, these should be the same. In the same way, the use for professional purposes should be discounted, not only diesel, but also of gasoline", they point out.

The measure, which would affect the lower and middle classes to a greater extent,

.

Last February, from the Ministry of Agriculture, an attempt was made to stop, alluding to the fact that fuels were at historical highs, so an increase of this type would only cause greater difficulties in key sectors such as transport, taxi drivers and farmers. .

The purpose of the rise is none other than to accelerate the green transition by penalizing those Spaniards who choose to consume this type of fuel.

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