PP and CC demand an end to the State "ripping-off" Canary Islands' self-employed workers
Political groups from Partido Popular (PP) and Coalición Canaria (CC) in the Tenerife Cabildo have announced two joint motions to be presented in parliament, aimed at challenging what they describe as the Spanish Government’s “fiscal voracity” against self-employed workers.
The two parties say they are forming a united front to demand an immediate halt to what they call the “economic punishment of incorporated autonomo (self-employed) workers” and are calling for urgent updates to national income tax (IRPF) bands to reflect the sharp loss of purchasing power affecting Tenerife residents.
Row Over Self-Employed Contributions
At the centre of the dispute is the State’s decision to raise the minimum social security contribution base for incorporated and collaborating self-employed workers to €1,424 per month.
PP and CC argue that the measure is “unjustified”, stating it represents a 42% increase in monthly contributions, an additional €1,650 per year for each affected worker.
They have labelled the increase a “tax blow”, accusing Madrid of using small business owners as a “bottomless source of revenue”, while excluding them from benefits such as the flat-rate start-up scheme and failing to offset the additional costs linked to the Canary Islands’ outermost and island status.
Call for Income Tax Adjustment
Alongside this, both groups are demanding the immediate adjustment, or “deflation”, of the first three state IRPF tax bands to reflect inflation.
They argue that failing to align tax thresholds with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) effectively results in a “silent tax rise”, meaning workers pay more tax on wages that have, in real terms, lost value due to inflation.
The joint motion calls for the adjustment to be applied retroactively from 1st January 2026. It also seeks higher family tax allowances for children and dependants, in order to prevent what they describe as families funding record state tax revenues “at the cost of their own impoverishment”.
‘Respect Our Economic Framework’
Lope Afonso (PP) and José Miguel Ruano (CC) were unequivocal in their criticism.
“We cannot stand by while a Government of Spain punishes those who create jobs and profits from rising prices at the expense of families,” they said in a joint statement.
They contrasted what they describe as relief measures introduced by the Tenerife Island Council and the Canary Islands Government with what they see as increasing fiscal pressure from the State.
Both leaders have called on Madrid to show “respect for our Economic and Fiscal Regime” (REF) and to adopt measures that reflect the specific realities of Tenerife and the rest of the Canary Islands.
The motions now formally urge Spain’s Ministries of Finance and Social Security to reverse what they describe as “deeply unfair and discriminatory” measures, and to stop “profiting from inflation” at the expense of the island’s productive sector.
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