National
Zapatero offers energy savings worth 3 billion €
By h.b. - Mar 20, 2010 - 7:09 PM
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José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (left) with the President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán, in the Reales Alcázares in Sevilla on Friday - EFE
The Spanish Prime Minister made his annoucement in Sevilla
Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has proposed energy savings worth 3 billion € across some 2,000 public buildings, 1,000 from central government and 1,000 in regional administrations and local town halls.
The measure is one of those agreed by the inter-ministerial commission headed by Elena Salgado and all political groups. The Government plans to put many of the ideas agreed into immediate effect by Royal Decree.
IVA/VAT reductions and other tax breaks on the renovation of property are to be introduced in this way.
The Prime Minister, speaking in Sevilla on Saturday, also announced the immediate new line of credit from the ICO, Official Credit Institute, worth 200,000 € for Pyme small businesses.
Zapatero said he was confident that businessmen would make ‘reasonable’ use of the credit and repeated his belief that net jobs would be created in Spain ‘in the last part of the year’.