Spain’s anti-austerity, left-wing Podemos (“We Can”) Party (previously), which grew out of Spain’s Occupy-like Indignados movement, has just published its election manifesto for the June 26 election — in the form of an Ikea Catalog.
The party pledges to bring unemployment down to 11% by the end of the next parliament. Unemployment is currently at 21%, with 4.8 million out of work. Podemos plans to raise taxes on incomes above €60,000, rising to 55% on incomes over €300,000.
Corporation tax will go up and there will be a tax on wealth and inheritance. Public spending is to increase by €15bn in each of the next four years and there will be some cuts to the military budget.
Spain returns to the polls on 26 June after elections last December failed to produce a clear winner and the parties were unable to agree on a formula for coalition government. Polls show the Unidos Podemos joint slate running second, having overtaken the mainstream PSOE socialist party.
Podemos 26J [PDF]
Flat-pack policies: new Podemos manifesto in style of Ikea catalogue
[Stephen Burgen/The Guardian]
