Spanish PM Rajoy promises tax cuts if his party win general election

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Saturday promised to cut income tax should his People's Party (PP) win the forthcoming Spanish general election on Dec. 20.

Speaking at a meeting of PP members in Valencia, Rajoy said he would lower the lowest rate of income tax from the current rate of 19 percent to 17 percent, while the maximum rate of tax would be reduced from 45 to 43 percent.

The prime minister also made other promises without going into specific details ahead of the official start of the election campaign on Dec. 6.

He said "many temporary contracts will become permanent contracts" and that he would offer more help to small and medium sized companies.

Rajoy said there were several building blocks to the PP campaign which would be "creating employment," "looking after people, maintaining and improving pensions, maintaining and improving the public health service, education, improving social services and attending to the needs of families and those who are suffering the most."

He explained that tax cuts were possible because as "the economy grows there will be more income," before turning to the issue of Catalan independence, promising to "defend the unity of Spain and give equality for all Spaniards and ensure they fulfil the law." Endit