With the Spanish government insisting that it does not intend scrapping the 75% residents' travel discount and replacing it with a system of fixed discounts per route, politicians and business groups in the Balearics are once more demanding greater control of fares. They argue that a progressive increase in prices is due to a lack of control by the Spanish government.
The Balearic minister for mobility, Josep Marí, says that although prices have increased since the discount was raised from 50% to 75%, there are other factors which in themselves "do not call into question the discount". He maintains that talk of eliminating the discount has been spread "by the political right", who have seized on a non-binding report from the AIReF independent authority for fiscal responsibility.
One of the coalition government parties, Més per Mallorca, is critical of the "inability" of the Spanish government to control airlines and their pricing policies. It is this which has led to the possibility of eliminating "a right", namely the residents' discount.
The leader of the main opposition party, Marga Prohens of the Partido Popular, stresses that the discount "is essential and cannot be touched". "If some airlines take advantage of the 75% discount to raise prices, then this is the responsibility of the Spanish government, which must provide the means to control its correct application."
Carmen Planas, the president of the CAEB Confederation of Balearic Business Associations, says that "for business competitiveness and the well-being of the public, the discount must be maintained". "The Spanish government must redouble its efforts to control the increases in fares so that airlines do not take advantage of the subsidy by raising prices. We support the government in combating alleged irregularities, as the fight against possible fraud is the responsibility of the government."