The Andalusian accounts had, as of October 31, a positive balance of 2,589 million euros, 1.60% of the regional GDP. The amount more than triples the surplus that the community presented just a year before, when Andalusia had 688 million in its favor in the income and expense account. The increase in transmissions from the Central Administration and the good behavior of tax collection leads Andalusia to be the region with the largest surplus in absolute terms and the fifth in relative terms. Only the two foral communities –Navarra (1.66%) and Pais Vasco (1.72%)–, Canarias (3.96%) and Asturias (2.07%) have a higher positive balance in relation to their GDP than these dates of the year. The average of the communities is 1.02% of the GDP and only Murcia presents a negative balance,
November and October are two months in which large amounts are executed, so logic says that the amount at the end of 2021 will be less. Last year serves as an example, when a surplus of 688 million went to one of 206, 0.1% of regional GDP. From the Ministry of Finance and European Financing they also qualify the data, since they ensure that in the income computed by the central government are the 1,100 million aid to companies to tackle the consequences of the pandemic and “1,800 million” allocated from the funds of Recovery.
The department headed by Juan Bravo points out that they must return part of the subsidies for companies that are not executed, while if the same thing happens with the money from Brussels, it can be transferred to 2022, thus rejecting the criticism of the Government delegate, Pedro Fernandez, who made the Andalusian Government ugly on Tuesday that it presents such a surplus at the same time that it no longer has 8,000 health professionals hired to reinforce the pandemic.
Beyond the political dispute, the data is striking and is driven by the increase in transfers of state and European funds (17.3% more), which leads resources to grow by 16.8% compared to October 2020 Expenditures also grow, but in a more limited way (6.9%) and driven above all by the increase in salaries to public workers (7.1% more), to account for more than half of the expenditure of the Board in the first 10 months of the year.
The Ministry of Finance and Public Function has also recently released data on health spending between January and October of this year. Andalusia also heads the classification in absolute terms, with 1,023 million euros, according to data provided by the Junta Government itself. This amount represents 0.63% of the Andalusian GDP, well above the average for the rest of the communities (0.47%) and only surpassed by Castilla-La Mancha (0.74%) and Murcia (0.72%). ). The expenditure of the Andalusian Administration to deal with the pandemic is 18% of the total dedicated by the autonomous communities to tackle the Covid-19 crisis, 5,676 million until October 2021.
Last year around the same dates, the budgetary effort of the Andalusian Government to alleviate the consequences of the pandemic was less. Specifically, 718 million euros, 11.7% of the regional total and 0.49% of Andalusian GDP. The amount dedicated in the current year is greater both in absolute and relative terms, while the average of the regions has experienced a decrease, going from 0.55% of the GDP of the communities in October 2020 to 0.47% of which Treasury reports this year.
