“I don't like tourist taxes”

Rajoy criticised other political parties for not having helped the government in 2012 and for now having “brilliant ideas.” “I also have these for the future,” he declared and insisted that his optimism for the election was founded on the strength of the PP and its “structure, desires and hope.”

He said that he understood the attrition that the PP’s number one candidate for Congress, Mateo Isern, had referred to, because “difficult and complex decisions” had to be made: this attrition having affected the PP. Now, however, the public realise that “we did what we had to do”.

Speaking about Balearic issues, the prime minister confirmed that he “does not like eco-taxes”, adding that a tax on tourists “is a mistake” because, beyond what it might bring in through revenue, it sends out “a negative message” to visitors. Rajoy expressed his “total and absolute support for the Balearic tourism industry”. Like the rest of Spain’s tourism sector, he said that “it is going with a bang”.

On the relationship with the current Balearic government, Rajoy maintained that he was willing to try to understand its position, as he had with the government that had been led by José Ramón Bauzá. His objective, he said, was “to respond to the general interest” above the political parties in government. On this relationship, he said that central government had supported the Balearics through “a very difficult period” with financing from the Fund for Autonomous Liquidity that had allowed the Balearics to pay suppliers. He added that his government was aware that travel within the mainland is not the same as travelling to and from the Balearics, saying that help had been given to “passenger and freight transport” and that this would continue in the future as would support for infrastructure developments.

Rajoy accepted that “it has been very hard” governing the Balearics in recent years, both at government and town hall level on account of resources that had been lost through management “that is best not to remember” (a reference to the government before Bauzá). Now, however, there were “positive data” because “the Balearics is growing above average and creating jobs”.