Catalonians are voting in the new parliamentary elections that could be the first step towards a referendum on independence from Spain.
The incumbent president has called for a snap election, and promised to hold a vote on secession if reelected, the RT reports.Catalonians cite financial troubles as one of the main reasons for wanting to secede from Spain.
Currently, Catalonia is paying Madrid around 16 billion euro a year more in taxes than it gets back from the central government, which has insisted that public services endure austerity cuts. These measures are in turn blamed as a cause of the Catalonia region’s deficit and debt issues.
Artur Mas, president and leader of the center-right Convergence and Union Party (CIU) has called for an early election in September after Barcelona and Madrid failed to reach agreement on a new tax scheme.
The Catalan government asked for the right to set and collect the region’s tax rates, instead of sending the money to Madrid.Catalonia currently owes around 40 billion euro in debt, which has forced regional authorities to introduce spending cuts in healthcare and education.
Catalonia is one of Spain's wealthiest regions, producing one-fifth of the country's economic output.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Catalonia parliamentary vote could signal step towards independence from Spain
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