Castilla y León Allocates 48 Million Euros to Support the Self-Employed

The Junta of Castilla y León has announced support measures for the self-employed. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Employment, Leticia García, stated that the 2026 budget draft represents a "historic effort" in favor of self-employed workers, with investments of nearly 48 million euros to alleviate tax burdens, promote entrepreneurship, and support small businesses. To compensate for this burden, the Bono Cuota Autónomos is created with a budget of 30 million euros. Additionally, the "Tarifa Zero Second Chance" program is introduced with initial funding of 1.6 million euros, which will allow for the full refund of contributions paid to social security in the first 18 months. This direct aid will affect around 100,000 self-employed individuals. The government also aims to counteract the "increase in the state flat rate" and support new entrepreneurs during the initial phase of their activity. The Relevacyl program, endowed with 3.2 million euros, seeks to prevent the closure of viable businesses upon the owner's retirement, facilitating their transfer to another entrepreneur who opts for self-employment. This measure is particularly necessary given the high percentage of self-employed individuals over 55 years of age in the region. However, these measures have drawn criticism from the opposition, which accused the government of portraying an economic picture contrary to reality and reminded that the region leads in the loss of self-employed workers, while the "exodus" of young people to other communities continues.