Rajoy defends tax amnesty

THE Spanish Prime Minister has defended his government’s 2012 tax amnesty in front of congress, and his decision to keep beneficiaries names a secret.

Rajoy told Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez that the €124 billion that the state collected through the procedure justified the move. He also compared it with earlier tax amnesties offered by Socialist governments.

“Our regularisation does not wipe out crimes,” said the Popular Party leader, in a reference to the fact that around 715 individuals who legalised their tax situation in 2012 are now being investigated for possible money laundering.

But the Socialist leader insisted that the names of all the amnesty beneficiaries must be made public. One of these people is Rodrigo Rato, a former senior PP official and ex-managing director of the International Monetary Fund, who is also on the list of 715 money laundering suspects.