Like Donald Trump's American right, the most conservative sectors of the Canary Islands, represented by the industrial association Asinca, advocate a protectionist model that curbs the arrival of foreign products through tariffs. The argument? "Protect local industry." The reality? They call "local industry" things like roasting coffee for sale in hotels in the south of Gran Canaria. This affects not only food but also impacts the renovation of hotels with construction materials.
The regional president of Asinca, Jorge Escuder, appeared this Monday before the parliamentary committee reviewing the Economic and Fiscal Regime (REF) to demand that the AIEM, the tax that increases the price of imported products, be modified immediately, without waiting for the seven-year review period. In other words, an AIEM on demand, tailored to the interests of companies, especially those that make their living from tourism.
Escuder issued the usual warning: "Without the AIEM, the Canary Islands' industry would disappear." The truth is that, in southern Gran Canaria, the influence of this "industry" is minimal compared to tourism or the actual trade generated by visitors.
The industrial association is now calling for a continuous update of the list of products taxed by the AIEM (Mexican Immigration and Customs Administration), attempting to stem the growing criticism of this system, which, in practice, increases the cost of living for resident families. Because, in the end, those who pay the extra costs are not the industries, but the consumers—especially in the south of the island, where the burden of imports is most noticeable.
While there is talk of strategic autonomy and food sovereignty, the very people who defend this model are blocking the arrival of fresh or manufactured products that could offer lower prices and greater variety to residents. All in the name of an "industry" that, in many cases, barely survives without subsidies and tax breaks.
Asinca's flagship proposal for the REF reform: maintain and strengthen the AIEM (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and require the State to cover 100% of freight transport costs. They call it support for the productive sector.
