Feijóo demands sacrifices as Spanish public debt rises

Feijóo demands sacrifices while debt keeps growing

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has announced he will ask Spaniards for "sacrifices" if he reaches government. The statement, made during the campaign, fell coldly on those who struggle financially year-round. It is not new: whenever Spain's right needs to justify cuts, it uses the same playbook. The difference now is that the announcement comes before winning elections and without detailing any specific measure.

The state doesn't borrow; citizens do

Economic forums reacted unanimously: if the state avoids borrowing, citizens will pay. And they already are. Average mortgages have become the main tool of silent sacrifice. Meanwhile, the state enjoys refinancing margins no individual can dream of. Spanish public debt exceeds one trillion euros, yet official discourse insists social spending, not fiscal structure, is the problem.

Some argue the real sacrifice isn't what Feijóo asks for, but what is already applied without announcement. Unadjusted IRPF (income tax) inflation acts as a silent tax eroding workers' purchasing power annually. Debate calculations suggest this hurts the working class more than explicit cuts. Detailed breakdowns reveal surprising differences.

Sacrifice targets the middle class and freelancers

Analysis consistently shows sacrifices fall on the same side. Freelancers and professionals feel adjustments first. Higher social security contributions, lack of tax indexation, and unfair competition from large platforms create a cocktail suffocating self-employed workers. The question remains whether Feijóo will lower IRPF for freelancers or maintain the fiscal pressure he criticizes.

Internal PP opposition doesn't help either. Some claim with Feijóo as candidate, PSOE has won the election. Criticism comes not only from the left; within the right-wing space, doubts arise about the Galician leader's ability to mobilize his base. The result is an announcement of sacrifices that sounds familiar but lacks substance.

Money is created from nothing, but sacrifice is real

A key debate point explains money creation. Central banks generate it from nothing, lending it to citizens in exchange for their labor. The image is powerful: trusted operators borrowing €2 billion at 1% interest while average workers pay much higher mortgage rates. This asymmetry, not social spending, is the true scandal.

The debate ends with an unanswered question: who will Feijóo ask to sacrifice? Historically, it's always the same people. The middle-class worker who stays put, pays the mortgage, supports children, and answers to a boss. They fund the system with new debt and next month's salary, until they can no longer cope.