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Against Madrid – businessmen for the “immigration” of companies

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Against Madrid – businessmen for the “immigration” of companies

Rafael del Pino, the billionaire chairman of construction firm Ferrovial, has become the latest businessman to be publicly criticized by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after announcing plans to move his company’s headquarters to the Netherlands.

There are businessmen who are loyal to Spain, but “this is not the case with Mr. Del Pino,” Sanchez said Thursday evening during a press conference in Copenhagen. He added that the government would review the legality of Ferrovial’s decision to “migrate” to the Netherlands.

The government will review the legality of Ferrovial’s decision, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

Del Pino joins a list of businessmen targeted by Mr. Sanchez, including Banco Santander president Ana Botin and Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galán. Sanchez had a strained relationship with part of Spain’s business establishment even before he became prime minister in 2018. After announcing emergency taxes on banks and energy companies last year, Sanchez said Botin and Galan’s criticism of the taxes was evidence that the government was doing the right thing.

Ferrovial announced its move to the Netherlands on Feb. 28, and on Thursday explained that the plan includes a listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and aims to help the company obtain cheaper liquidity and become more attractive to investors. In the long term, entry into the US capital market is also being considered. In addition to this, he cites tax reasons and legal security. Following the announcement, Sanchez’s junior coalition partner, the far-left party Unidas Podemos, said it would propose legislation that would force companies that relocate production or headquarters overseas to return all government aid and subsidies they received in the past decade.

Although Del Pino rarely speaks in public, he has been known to be critical of Sanchez and his socialist-led government. Earlier this year, Ferrovial sponsored an event where opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijo delivered a keynote address. Speaking at the event to the leader of the opposition, the head of Ferrovial stressed the importance of making Spain attractive to investors. Del Pino controls about 20% of Ferrovial, and his two brothers control another 12%. The company was founded in the 1950s by their father. The current president has overseen the international expansion of the company, which derives 80% of its revenue from operations outside of Spain. In addition to its construction division, the company also has a large infrastructure concession sector, including Heathrow Airport and road junctions in Toronto and Dallas. The company was also awarded for the construction and operation of the terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

Author: newsroom

Source: Kathimerini

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