Spain to tax the wealthiest to fight budget deficit

Spain will introduce a special property tax for taxpayers with assets worth 700,000 euros (959,000 dollars) or more, Economy Minister Elena Salgado announced Thursday, according to dpa. The "tax on the rich," as it is popularly known, will concern about 160,000 taxpayers. It was expected to bring around 1.08 billion euros annually to state coffers.A similar wealth tax existed earlier, but it was abolished in 2008.The tax, which was due to be approved by the government on Friday, will be in force in 2011 and 2012. It forms part of Spain's efforts to cut its budget deficit from 9.2 per cent in 2010 to 6 per cent this year.The government was also taking new measures to make the labour market more flexible. Later on Thursday, parliament was due to approve a reform freeing employers from the obligation of giving stable work contracts to employees who have been on temporary contracts for more than two years. The Greek financial crisis has revived speculation that Spain might follow Greece, Ireland and Portugal in needing a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund