THE Valencian government and large regional supermarkets have agreed- in principle-to offer a shopping discount voucher to low-income households.
Further talks are planned next week between the government and regional supermarket association, Asucova, to thrash out the details.
Valencian president, Ximo Puig, said on Thursday that food inflation is a ‘serious problem for a fifth of families in the region who are on low incomes’.
Reports suggest the government will subsidise most of the bonus- believed to be €30.
It will be down to supermarket chains and grocery stores to decide whether they want to participate in the scheme.
How the bonus will be handed out is not clear, but individual municipalities have run local schemes and might be called to play a part in distributing the new discount.
Ximo Puig commented that it was also a question of ‘finding the right fit’ without negatively affecting producers or small businesses.
Speaking to regional broadcaster, A Punt, Asucova president, Pedro Reig, said: “We are willing to do everything possible to help disadvantaged families but we are already selling all of our products at the lowest possible prices.”
He emphasised that the real issue was with raw material costs which he predicted would come down and have a positive impact on prices ‘after the summer’.
Reig described the IVA reduction on some foods introduced by the national government at the start of the year as ‘positive’.
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