Executives increasingly emphasize the economic and social contribution of large companies when presenting results. The push to produce nonfinancial and sustainability reports has broadened corporate focus, prompting firms to evaluate not only their direct activities but also the wider effects they generate across every link of the value chain. This broader perspective is changing how investors, consumers, and policymakers assess performance, putting a premium on transparency and shared value.
Mercadona’s leadership noted that the company, employing about 103,000 people, made a direct contribution of roughly 2.8 billion euros to public coffers in the most recent year through taxes such as value added tax, income tax, social security contributions, and corporate tax. Yet the company’s activity, driven by purchases from its suppliers and those suppliers’ networks, generated well over 740,000 jobs in 2024, representing about 3.7 percent of total employment in Spain, according to a study by the Valencian Institute of Economic Research. The indirect impact on production, income, and employment raised its overall contribution to about 2.1 percent of GDP. The study estimates total tax contributions by the group at around 12.6 billion euros, accounting for about 2.15 percent of public revenue across the administrations.
CaixaBank also analyzes the irradiating effect of its activity, which spreads through supplier networks, regions, and sectors, creating employment and economic impact beyond its direct operations. In 2024 it paid 3.593 billion euros in taxes directly, indirectly, and in social security contributions, a rise of about 89 percent from the previous year, and it expanded its Spanish workforce by roughly 14 percent to 41,304 employees. However, the multiplier effect of supplier purchases contributed to the creation of around 69,000 jobs in Spain and generated an economic impact of 18.872 billion euros, equaling 1.18 percent of GDP.
Inditex increased its fiscal contribution in Spain during the latest year, reaching 2.243 billion euros in taxes. The fashion group counts about 6,500 suppliers in Spain, which invoiced the group 7.632 billion euros in 2024. With a direct workforce of nearly 50,000 people, the company’s activity in Spain supported more than 170,000 jobs, according to a PwC report.
Red de proveedores
This consulting analysis also evaluated the impact of the activity of the telecommunications infrastructure firm Cellnex. With 1,125 workers in Spain, it paid 118 million euros to the tax authorities in 2024, including both its own and third party taxes. However, with 1,499 suppliers in Spain, its socioeconomic contribution reached 891 million euros in 2023, representing 0.08 percent of the national GDP.
Iberdrola and Telefónica also stand out for their economic impact. Iberdrola, employing 9,812 people in Spain, paid 4.313 billion euros in taxes in the last year. The company estimates that its activity, measured by turnover, represented 1.09 percent of Spain’s GDP. Telefónica, with 25,086 employees at the end of 2024, contributed a total of 2.808 billion euros in taxes, including what is collected and borne, to Spain’s public coffers.
Due to its large workforce, the EULEN group appears prominently among major firms, with 75,000 people employed in Spain. Its Sustainability Report notes an estimated social impact of 358 million euros in 2023 and a total tax contribution of 326 million euros.