Spain’s Fiscal Authority lodges complaint against Montoro for concealing information about deficit

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Cristóbal Montoro, ministre espanyol d'Hisenda, en el debat al Congrés sobre els pressupostos generals de l'Estat per al 2016 / EFE

BarcelonaThere has been an unexpected clash between Spain’s Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIREF, in Spanish) --an independent body with an oversight role-- and the Spanish Treasury --led by minister Cristóbal Montoro--, which the AIREF has accused of throwing a spanner in the works. According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the AIREF has filed a formal complaint against Montoro’s ministry with Spain’s Audiencia Nacional (Supreme Court).

The AIREF --which Brussels tasked with fighting public deficit in Spain-- was denied much-needed access to the Spanish Treasury’s accounts, which prompted the complaint.

According to the Fiscal Authority, minister Montoro “oversteps his authority” and “infringes upon the autonomy and independence” of the body, while laying “hurdles” when it comes to, for instance, accessing data about regional and local governments that would help to understand how public deficit is evolving in Spain.