Vox launches an offensive against street vending that 'ruins small businesses'

In the latest parliamentary session, Vox's group presented a motion in Parliament de Catalunya where they proposed two things. First, the protection of local businesses and, on the other hand, the expulsion of illegal street sales.

This proposal hasn't had enough support to move forward, receiving support only from PP and abstention from Aliança Catalana. PSC, Junts, ERC, Comuns, and CUP voted against the proposal from Ignacio Garriga's party.

Danger for local businesses

According to PIMEC, the association of small and medium-sized businesses, the refusal to intervene against top manta causes more than €135 million ($135 million) in annual losses in Barcelona. Not only directly to local businesses, which lose €65 million ($65 million) annually, but also due to counterfeit products, the industry loses an additional €70 million ($70 million).

It's not just that government inaction is attacking commercial activity, but it also works against you. If municipalities collected the appropriate license taxes, they would have more than €35 million ($35 million) extra for their budgets. Money that could be transformed into necessary initiatives for these municipalities or for the improvement of services and infrastructure.

Clashes with law enforcement

Top manta not only destroy local businesses, but when they organize, they can become extremely violent. Last month, more than 300 police units had to act in Salou, where Sub-Saharan street vendors set up barricades in the street to try to hinder police searches. They even greeted riot police with stones and other objects.

The left support and normalize street vendors

On June 1, we could observe, during the "anti-racist" race, the great support and coverage that groups like Comuns or CUP give to the street vendors' union.

Also, the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, former Junts member and now in PSC's government, has publicly defended top manta. "They're not criminals, they're victims," emphasizing that the real problem around top manta isn't the activity of the street vendors, but the mafias that exploit them. He has insisted that Catalonia must offer social alternatives and migration regularization to dismantle these networks.

Vox launches a campaign throughout Catalonia to support small businesses

Because of all this, Vox has decided to launch a campaign throughout Catalonia to support the abandoned small Catalan business owners. "This illegal practice 'ruins small businesses and unfairly competes with them'," denounce members of Ignacio Garriga's party.

The campaign aims to "protect local businesses and expel illegal street sales" and will consist of distributing informational flyers throughout Catalonia. Vox will focus on towns such as Barcelona, Tarragona, Salou, Cambrils, Hospitalet, Canovelles, Roses, Sitges, Calafell, or Sant Adrià de Besòs, which they consider some of the municipalities most affected by this "scourge allowed, encouraged, and protected by Generalitat"