The president of the Community, Fernando López Miras, has expressed his conviction that 2022 «will be a great year for the Region of Murcia», and showed his «hope» in «leaving the pandemic behind». To this end, he called for «moving forward together», as together «we are stronger and we will reach our goals sooner».
During his institutional message on the occasion of the New Year, López Miras addressed all Murcians from the Mar Menor, «which must now be a great example of hope and of everyone’s involvement, without confrontation», he said. The head of the regional government stressed that this year the regional government will allocate «the largest amount ever invested in the ecosystem», to preserve what he describes as «not only a natural treasure but also a treasure of identity and culture, which we have the obligation to recover for future generations».
With regard to the pandemic, the president called for «continued progress in vaccination», which has already reached 91.2 percent of the population of the region. He said he was «convinced» that the new year «will allow us to recover more and more everyday aspects of our lives and our traditions, such as Easter».
He also stressed that, from the health point of view, «we will continue our efforts to combat this virus and its consequences with all the tools at our disposal. Our pulse will not tremble». In relation to 2021, «a very difficult year for everyone», he recalled that «we have always been ahead» in health management, and that the Region of Murcia «has set the pace for the rest of the country with the courageous measures we have adopted».
López Miras conveyed his «affection and love» to the «families who have lost one of their loved ones to the pandemic», as well as «to those who are still hospitalised, ill or suffering the after-effects of the virus». He also expressed his «enormous gratitude» to «those who take care of us, our magnificent health professionals who fight every day on the front line against the disease». He also extended his gratitude to the teachers, «who, with their efforts, have ensured that the classrooms of the Region of Murcia are the safest social space», as well as to the Security Forces and Corps, firefighters, local police and civil protection.
LOWERING TAXES
On the economic front, he stressed that «the economic recovery figures we have already achieved are encouraging». As an example, he said that «we have managed to recover the companies that had been lost due to Covid-19», and he pointed out the increase in the number of people employed in the Region in the last year. To consolidate these records, the regional government «has undertaken ambitious reforms that have made our economy more competitive,» said the president.
López Miras announced that, for the new year, the «highest budgets in the history of the Community» will protect health and allow new rebates to be implemented in the regional section of personal income tax for young people and working mothers.
Among the new initiatives, the regional head also mentioned the aid for young people to access their first home, the extension of the elimination of gift tax to siblings, aunts, uncles and nephews, as well as the rebate on the Wealth Tax for investments in projects of regional interest. «All these measures will translate into savings for more than 300,000 Murcians», in what will be «another step towards strengthening the economic freedom of the citizens of the Region of Murcia».
DEFENCE OF THE WATER TRANSFER AND A SOLUTION TO UNDERFUNDING
López Miras affirms that in 2022 «we must continue to defend the work that, like the Mar Menor, defines us as a region and explains where we come from: the Tagus-Segura aqueduct». For the regional leader, this infrastructure «is synonymous with more than four decades of progress, welfare, employment and contribution to the development of Spain, which should be enough to ensure that its existence is not questioned». The debate on the aqueduct, according to López Miras, «should only take place to improve it, and so that it becomes the basis for a state pact on water».
With regard to the underfunding that the Region of Murcia receives from the central government, López Miras called for «raising our voice as one, without nuances», because «the welfare of one and a half million Murcians» is at stake. In this sense, he demanded «fair funding, which is the expression of a real need and an overwhelming logic: that all Spaniards should be equal and receive the same treatment. Our demand is not aimed at confrontation, but rather we seek agreement».
MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FOR LA PALMA
In his review of the year already concluded, López Miras also referred to the eruption of the volcano on La Palma, to emphasise that «the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo and the people of La Palma can always count on the unconditional support of the Region of Murcia for the task of recovery that they are now undertaking». He praised «the solidarity and empathy of all the people of Murcia» in the face of this event, and recalled that «we are a people who have been through a very similar situation», in reference to the Lorca earthquake of 2011.