because there Business who is changing his headquarters leida to the neighbor Aragon or other regions? This is the question the government was compelled to seek an answer to by a Parliamentary motion on the relocation of companies from Lleida counties. For this, it took a study prepared by the Ministry of Economy as a starting point. Chamber and Diputació de Lleidaas well as the city’s university and Barcelona School of Management from the University of Pompeu Fabra (UPF). And contrary to popular belief, it is not a matter of taxation or fiscal pressure.
In the period between 2015 and 2020a total of 428 companies3.2% of the total in that region relocated their headquarters or facilities to other regions. In any case, there were also companies in the same period for which the net balance was a total loss of 87.
To Barcelona, Aragon and Madrid
39.4% of the total number of companies leaving Lleida moved to Barcelona for the benefits of capital such as infrastructure or growth opportunities; 18.9% to Aragon, for administrative agility and land availabilitysectors such as especially Fraga, Binéfar or Monzón and agriculture, livestock and fisheries; and 14% went to Madrid for tax incentives and subsidies. According to Pimec, the number of companies grew by 8% in 15 years in Aragon and only 2% in Lleida.
The study’s authors warn that Lleida is in danger of dying. in the middle of two very powerful logistical ‘centres’: With Zaragoza, the Central Corridor and Barcelona, the Mediterranean Corridor “could further aggravate the company relocation problem”. Improvement of infrastructures, connection with railway corridors and New uses for Lleida-Alguaire airport; prefer administrative agility, through the “single window” for the entrepreneur; build an investment attraction pole with polygons specialized in the agri-food sector Y promoting cooperation between university and business. The ‘dealer’ of the economy, James GiroDuring his visit to the region, he was convinced that the construction of new industrial sites in the province would serve to stop the companies from flying.
An example of offshoring seeds of war, a benchmark in production for large crops and home orchards and gardens, eventually choosing to build a factory in Torrente del Cinca with an investment of 10 million euros and employing 80 people. And this is due to the ease and speed that Aragon offers in administrative matters, as well as the finding of land. For similar reasons, the agricultural machinery company from Lleida niubo In 2017, he decided to bet on Fraga as the ideal place to grow.
No subsidies, no taxes, no land
The study states that “the first element to note is that the research did not find any significant specific gravity in the collective imagination of three elements often associated with corporate displacement: subsidies, taxes and land prices“In addition, Catalonia is in fifth place in terms of fiscal pressure (collections on GDP), despite having a larger volume of its own taxes and collections, “At levels close to Aragon”.
And by per capita comparison, “it’s clear that in 2020 Catalonia is also in fifth place, slightly above Aragon. In short,”there is no significant difference in the level of taxation in both regions.The authors write, “It is true that Catalonia has more taxes than Aragon, but these are hardly a decisive factor in relocation, both because of the reduced tax burden they contain, and because their purpose is to create greater awareness among economic agents than the nature of collection. , but also because they affect very specific sectors that are difficult to relocate”.
Surveys of moving companies provide clearer clues as to why. 90% were micro businesses and they justified it”family reasons, proximity to customers and competitors, and synergy and savings with other companiesThe main reasons for SMEs, which make up 10% of those who prefer to change their headquarters, were as follows:bureaucracy, attitude of authorities and land connections“.