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Spain's Finance Minister María Jesús Montero is fighting the emergency situation
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Eduardo Parra / dpa
Inflation has a firm grip on Europe – and so does the debate about how to cushion inflation.
In order to finance measures to combat inflation, the Spanish government wants to temporarily additionally tax the richest one percent of the population from next year.
It is important that "we can finance the aid" set up to support the "middle class and workers," Finance Minister María Jesús Montero told La Sexta television on Thursday.
For two years, the government will levy a tax on Spain's "large fortunes," which affect "no more than one percent" of the population, Montero said.
It would be about protecting the incomes of 99 percent of the country's citizens.
"When we talk about rich people, we're talking about millionaires," the minister added.
She did not provide any information on the tax rate or tax revenue.
The Spanish government under Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had already presented a bill in July to introduce a temporary tax on banks and energy suppliers to finance measures to lower the cost of living.
In Spain, inflation was 10.5 percent in August, slightly above the EU average of 10.1 percent.
The reason for this is the sharp rise in energy and food prices there, mainly as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The tax debate had intensified because, after Madrid, Andalusia also wants to forgo the levying of wealth tax.
The left-wing coalition government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accuses the two conservative-governed autonomous communities of tax dumping in order to attract companies from other parts of the country.
The government had previously announced temporary special taxes for banks and energy companies, but the companies concerned want to defend themselves against them in court.
The additional revenue is intended to help finance relief packages for citizens.
There is already free public transport, cheaper petrol, tax cuts on electricity and gas and a special payment for student scholarship holders.
ani/AFP