Are you young (in your twenties or early thirties) and looking to go self-employed? Or do you know someone who is?
Then you'll be delighted to hear that the government is cutting the hefty autonomo (self-employment social security) payment for the first six months from 250 euros per month to just 50 euros, for men aged under 30 and women under 35. This means that instead of paying a total of 1500 euros for the first half-year of being autonomo, you pay a much more manageable 300 euros.
For the next two years, you get a 30% reduction, which means you pay around 175 euros as your monthly contribution.
The government is calling it "una alfombra roja" - a red carpet - in other words, a way of tempting young people into setting up their own business and thereby lowering the high unemployment rate. The Minister for Employment said today (Monday) that the new measure is expected to come into effect in the next few weeks. You can hear the announcement of the new measure here.