The socialist candidate who presides over the Community of Madrid, Juan Lobato, firmly believes that sport is health. That is why he projects in his program to incorporate sports prescriptions into the daily life of the people of Madrid. Furthermore, he wants people who play sports to be able to benefit from personal income tax deductions for the expenses they incur. and puts forward a six-year investment plan of 10 million euros per year for the region.
During a meeting with the Madrid Association of Sports Services Entrepreneurs (ASOMED), Lobato listened to their requests: a reduction in the IRPF quota for those who do sports, and that they should be counted when introducing new sports infrastructure and « they should not. Without rhyme or logic ”, recalls the president of this association, Adolfo Ruiz, in some cases competitions have been abandoned to create these facilities, as has happened recently in San Blas, he pointed out.
Lobato describes sports activity as a “strategic issue and an important element in the economic development of the region”, noting that 50 percent of the workforce in the sports sector are youth.
Looking to the future, his promises in this area include developing sports legislation in the assembly, which is “stable since 2014”, and launching a six-year plan from 2024 to 2030, with 10 million euros invested by the exercise. Will go GETTING “The 1.1 million people in Madrid who do sport regularly today are set to grow to 2 million in 2030.”
Its program also includes sports prescription, an old initiative announced several times but yet to make it out of the drawers. The last time the regional government talked about it, announcing its impending start-up, was in April this year. In Lobato’s plan, it would be the family doctor who would prescribe, and there would be public co-financing to accomplish it, which would come out of a previously announced sports investment plan. Physical activity will be prescribed and can be done in public and private facilities with which it is agreed: “Instead of the pharmacy, go to a public or private center that has agreed to do sports,” he summarized.
Lobato sees tax incentives as possible in this area, through personal income tax cuts for those who have the expenses to run sporting activities. Also remember their promise to open schools from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with free extra-curricular activities for those who want to do them, in fields such as robotics, arts, and sports.
