An independent Catalonia would offer tax incentives to companies, says govt

The moves of firms moving HQs out of the country have “no real effects” on the economy, according to the executive

Image of Amazon's logistics centre (by ACN)
Image of Amazon's logistics centre (by ACN) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

October 15, 2017 12:08 PM

The Catalan government proposes a set of measures in an independent Catalonia which would work as tax incentives for companies. Better fiscal arrangements for small and medium-sized businesses, changes in the corporate tax and the creation of an alternative investment market are the main ingredients that the executive is considering to implement in order to attract firms. In the past few days and following the October 1 referendum, some companies and banks have decided to move their headquarters out of Catalonia.

ACN reports that the government has prepared a report with the measures, in which it is stated that independence “is an opportunity in the mid-term to improve the market conditions which companies have faced until now.” Thus, it says that a Catalan state should have a more advantageous fiscal framework for the productive economy so as to create “incentives to new investments, job creation” and small and medium-sized businesses, which contribute with 65% of the overall Catalan GDP. The government also foresees an improvement in the regulation of the electricity market because it is now in Spain “oligopolistic”.