Maite Antón, president of the Alicante State Family Business Association (AEFA), pointed out that today governments should implement effective measures to curb inflation and consider reducing various tax rates to help families and companies. She endorsed an income agreement between employers and workers, avoiding an explicit label, to prevent an inflationary spiral. (Source: AEFA)
This stance was shared during the XXVII AEFA awards ceremony, held Tuesday at the Castelar Theater in Elda. The event drew attendance from Generalitat President Ximo Puig, the Diputación president Carlos Mazón, Rubén Alfaro, mayor of Elda, Xicu Costa, regional manager of CaixaBank, and many representatives from the province’s economic, business, and social sectors. (Source: AEFA)
In her speech, Antón clearly conveyed businessmen’s concerns about uncertainty and the likely slowdown in activity in the coming months due to inflation driven by the war in Ukraine. She urged governments to enact the necessary tax reductions and called on all stakeholders to strive to avert an inflationary spiral. (Source: AEFA)
Antón also stressed that in these challenging times, administrations must be more pragmatic than ever, moving away from bureaucratic and labyrinthine frameworks that hinder business growth. She recalled that the Consell has crafted a standard framework whose scope has not yet been fully realized, and she warned that excessive administrative barriers are eroding the capacity of companies to develop and generate wealth. (Source: AEFA)
In line with this push, AEFA expressed its support for Alicante’s bid to host the State Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence, noting that the province meets the necessary qualifications. Simultaneously, it called for an objective decision regarding the future location of the dry port projects in Novelda and Villena, urging prompt execution. (Source: AEFA)
offshore
Ana Antón reiterated the association’s longstanding concern about supposed discounts from the Generalitat for all companies, now limited to those with turnover under 10 million euros and linked to inheritance tax. Ximo Puig has pursued this goal, though it has not yet been realized. (Source: AEFA)
Antón argued that abolishing the inheritance tax would be an analytic and consistent move to prevent family businesses from disappearing, especially at a time of leadership succession. She also suggested that keeping the tax in place can push many family firms to seek other avenues, such as selling to mutual funds or relocating decision-making while maintaining roots in the region. (Source: AEFA)
The AEFA president received support from Puig and the Diputación president, and Carlos Mazón, the PP’s contender for the Generalitat, indicated in his speech that removing the tax should be pursued. He also offered to explain the rationale in greater detail. (Source: AEFA)
Xicu Costa, Maite Antón, Ximo Puig, Rubén Alfaro, and Carlos Mazón were pictured together during the event. (Source: AEFA)
Antón emphasized the need for increased public funding for the autonomous community and more investment in the province to drive broader growth. She urged governments to be more demanding on this front, arguing that insufficient investment hinders projects that would connect Valencia and Alicante and strengthen cohesion across the country. (Source: AEFA)
She argued that the region ranks behind in several key indicators and asked: where would it stand if investments were properly allocated for roads, modernized highways, expanded ports, and improved airport access for residents from every corner of the province? A faster, more efficient rail connection would also help shorten travel times. (Source: AEFA)
award winners
The Generalitat Prize went to a telecommunications operator based in Novelda and operating across 28 municipalities in Alicante, Valencia, and Murcia. In accepting the award, Mario Miralles, chair of the company promoting a dry port near the Mediterranean Corridor connecting Novelda and Monforte, called for continued support of the project as it competes with Villena for the location and for reinforcing freight traffic through the Valencia port. (Source: AEFA)
The CCS Architects award was presented to Carlos Company, the vice president of AEFA, who received the honor alongside his extended family. The CaixaBank Award went to ITC-Packaging, a leader in producing plastic containers for food, cosmetics, and cleaning products in more than 30 countries. (Source: AEFA)
Finally, the Manuel Peláez Castillo Foundation awarded this year’s honorary prize to Miguel Hernández professor at Elche University, Jose Maria Gomez Gras, in recognition of his contributions to the development and recognition of family businesses in the province. Grateful for Pelaez’s legacy, Gomez Gras endorsed directing the Mediterranean Corridor dry port to Novelda and expressed satisfaction in fostering knowledge transfer between university and industry. (Source: AEFA)