Junts Pushes Tax Breaks to Secure Support for Spain’s Emergency Housing Decree

A dramatic eviction of a woman named Maricarmen in Madrid ignited a wave of political pressure, prompting the Spanish government to seek an accord with Junts, a party that had earlier declared the legislature dead and demanded elections. Junts is willing to endorse a forthcoming real-decree-law on housing that would halt evictions without alternative accommodation, but only if the executive adopts a set of temporary tax incentives, including a 15% deduction on mortgage-related expenses, savings for first-time home purchases, and rent payments for households earning below a certain threshold.

The party also wants a civil-code amendment allowing families to cancel mortgages if banks sell the loan to another bank at a loss, and a ban on speculative purchases by “vulture” funds. Meanwhile, Podemos pushes for broader anti-eviction rules, rent caps, permanent contracts and expropriation of speculative holdings. The cabinet must gather votes from both Junts and Podemos before the Council of Ministers convenes on Tuesday to decide the decree’s fate.