Feijóo Proposes Tax Relief and Reform for Self-Employed Amidst Government Fee Increases
Alberto Núñez Feijóo criticizes government plans to raise fees for self-employed workers and unveils a three-pronged proposal to reduce their fiscal burden and bureaucracy.
- • Feijóo condemns the government's 35% fee increase planned for self-employed workers in 2026.
- • He proposes exempting autónomos earning under €85,000 from VAT and reducing bureaucracy.
- • Generational relief measures aim to assist family businesses in succession.
- • Feijóo highlights fiscal mismanagement and calls for economic reforms to support hardworking citizens.
Key details
On October 18, 2025, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, president of the Partido Popular (PP), met with self-employed workers (autónomos) in Soria to criticize the Spanish government's plan to increase their social security fees starting in 2026. According to Feijóo, the proposed 35% hike aiming to collect 6 billion euros from over three million autónomos is unreasonable and burdensome. He described the situation as a "heavy blow" to hardworking citizens and called it "nonsense" to tax those who toil daily while funds are mismanaged elsewhere.
Feijóo vowed to implement a comprehensive plan to ease the fiscal pressure on autónomos if elected. His proposals include three main measures: exempting self-employed workers earning under 85,000 euros annually from VAT, reducing bureaucracy by shifting VAT declarations from quarterly to annual submissions, and facilitating generational succession by broadening the definition of non-collaborating autónomos to include non-family members in family business transfers.
Highlighting Spain's economic challenges, Feijóo emphasized that the country should no longer be costly for productive workers and cheap for those exploiting the system. He criticized government mismanagement and frivolous spending, warning that rising taxes amidst increasing public debt constitute a "torture" on citizens and threaten Spain's sovereignty. Feijóo called for a shift from judicial political agendas to economic reforms that prioritize workers' welfare and promote a fairer, more sustainable economy.
He also praised the prompt budget presentation from Castilla y León's president in contrast to delays by the national government. Feijóo's remarks underline the Popular Party's commitment to alleviating the burdens faced by self-employed workers and reforming fiscal and social policies to support sustainable economic growth in Spain.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.