SME Business leaders shout in favor of independence - VilaWeb
SME Business leaders shout in favor of independence
For the first time in history, the small and
medium business owners of the PIMEC group end an event with cries of
"independence!"
A well-attended event of the Catalonia Small and Medium Business
Association (PIMEC) gathered 1,400 business owners in Barcelona's Palau
de Congressos Hall on Wednesday evening. The meeting had been called in
protest of the policies that make it difficult to get out of the
financial crisis. PIMEC's president, Josep González, asked for restraint
at the beginning of the meeting, but it was for naught. Whistling was
clearly heard when Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy's face appeared in the
video, and the event closed to cries in favor of the independence of
Catalonia. There were even Catalan independence flags waving in the
audience. Wednesday, March 19, 2014, therefore, will become a historic
day. For the first time, a PIMEC event ends with shouts for
independence. "That had never happened to us ever. Now, if it happens in
FC Barcelona's stadium, or at the Liceu Opera House, it can happen to
us too. The board doesn't share the sentiment of the shouting that was
heard, but we are not considering any sanctions on any of those who
participated. That would be the end-all. We do say that PIMEC is in
favor of the right to decide of the Catalans. But today, was a purely
business-related event," said González, who did not want the
pro-independence demonstrations to dominate the newspaper headlines. And
he was partly right. Yesterday’s cries of independence were not the
only things heard. There were also many arguments against the privileges
of the banks, of big business, and of government inefficiency. In
addition, pamphlets were passed around in favor of the creation of a
Catalan currency. Yes, something is changing in the business world.
"We
say 'Enough!' to the government's submission to certain business
sectors (particularly banking, energy, public works and distribution)."
Is that a quote from the CUP? No, they are the words of business owners
spoken yesterday from the presidential podium. "We say 'Enough!' to the
loss of entrepreneurs' personal and family wealth while banks recover
their debts and receive generous public bailouts." Was it Iniciativa per
Catalunya? No. They were small business owners who question the
bailouts for banks. Because in last night's event, ideas were proclaimed
left and right that were gathered from PIMEC's members through social
media and that yesterday bubbled up from below as the board decided to
allow them to be expressed in front of everyone. For example, "We say
'Enough!' to the average of 171 days that Ibex-35 [Spanish Stock
Exchange] members take to pay their providers, without the CNV or any
other regulators doing anything to curb this illegality." The law says
60 days. Was it the libertarian CGT union accusing big Íbex-35
businesses of illegal actions? No, yesterday it was small business
owners.
Yes, yesterday's event was proof that the interests of the small and
medium business owner are farther and farther away from the interests of
the banks and big business. Data doesn't lie. "A large company pays 12%
in corporate taxes. Small and medium businesses pay 24%," said
González. No, not all business owners are the same. Some, the big ones,
pay half as much corporate tax as the small ones and they live off of
the BOE. The others, the small and medium ones, pay twice as much
corporate tax and end their events with cries of independence.
Yesterday's PIMEC meeting was remarkable. Remarkable because the
Catalan small and medium business owners employ two thirds of the
workers in the private sector. Humble big business, just a third.
Therefore, if PIMEC ends up converting to pro-independence (was
yesterday the beginning?), they may just well put the pressure on those
two-thirds to pay their taxes in Catalonia. And if the PIMEC questions
banking's capitalism, perhaps they'll help look for alternatives to this
behemoth, private, inefficient banking system that we have had to
support—and that yesterday they denounced so clearly.
PIMEC podium
