The government's decision to apply the céntimo verde gas surcharge to natural gas instead of combustible fuels is an unexpected attempt to not raise gasoline prices further.
Nontheless, the measure brings up some questions. The first relates to how much the government will make in tax revenues, which theoretically will drop, simply because the demand for natural gas has fallen steadily since 2011. This factor, in addition to extending the length of time that long-term unemployed workers can receive 400 euro in benefits and lower-than-anticipated VAT revenues could affect Spain's attempt to meet its budget objective. Doing so is an absolute neccessity if Spain wants to recover economically.
