The secretary of state for finance is a senior minister of the Spanish Ministry of Finance responsible for assisting the minister in the design and implementation of the fiscal and tax policies.
It is also responsible for the forecasting and analysis of tax, non-tax and other public revenues, the management of the cadastre and assisting the minister in matters of financial collaboration with other public administrations, regional and local financing, and the exercise of State financial oversight to guarantee the country's budgetary stability and financial sustainability.
As the highest-ranking official responsible for tax and financial policies, the secretary of state is the President of the Spanish Tax Agency and is a member of the Government Delegated Committee for Economic Affairs, the Fiscal and Financial Policy Council and the National Commission on Local Administration.
The secretary of state is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Finance Minister. Since 9 June 2022, finance inspector José Gascón Catalán, former executive director of the Spanish Tax Agency (2018–2022), has served as sercretary of state.
History
In December 1982, the ministries of Finance and Economy were merged, and to assist the minister of finance and economy in its financial responsabilities the position of Secretary of State for Finance was established. In its early years, the Secretariat of State was responsible for all kind of taxes, fiscal policy and financing of all administrations, legal counsel (Solicitor General), State properties, budget and accounts auditing.
Over the years, it gradually transferred powers to other Ministry's officials, such as the Office of the Solicitor General or the management of State properties in 1984, which were transferred to the Under-Secretary, or everything related to budget matters, European funds and auditing of accounts, which was transferred in 1996 to the new Secretary of State for Budget and Expenditure.
From April 2004 to December 2011, all budgetary powers returned to this Secretariat of State when the one for budget and expenditure was suppressed. At this time, the position was known as "Secretary of State for Finance and Budget".
Organization The secretary of state is the head of the Secretariat of State and, by the minister's delegation, is the ultimate authority responsible for taxation, cadastre and government financing.
The secretary of state is assisted by a secretary-general, two directors-general and supervises the Central Economic-Administrative Court, whose head has the rank of director-general.
+Secretariat of State Organization as of 2026Secretary of StateCabinet (Chief of Staff)Spanish Tax AgencyCustoms Surveillance ServiceInstitute for Fiscal StudiesSecretary-General forRegional and Local FinancingDirectorate-General for Budgetary Stability and Territorial Financial ManagementDeputy Directorate-General for Regional Financing ManagementDeputy Directorate-General for Regional Budgetary Analysis and StatisticsDeputy Directorate-General for Sustainability and Regional Financial PolicyDeputy Directorate-General for Local Financing ManagementDeputy Directorate-General for Local Budgetary and Financial ManagementDeputy Directorate-General for Regional Financial StudiesDeputy Directorate-General for Regional Tax RelationsDeputy Directorate-General for Local Financial StudiesDeputy Directorate-General of Systems and Applications for Territorial FinancingDirectorate-General forTaxesDeputy Directorate-General for Tax PolicyDeputy Directorate-General for TaxesDeputy Directorate-General for Personal Income TaxesDeputy Directorate-General for Corporate TaxesDeputy Directorate-General for Consumption TaxesDeputy Directorate-General for Financial Operations TaxesDeputy Directorate-General for Property Taxes, Fees and Service ChargesDeputy Directorate-General for Special Taxes and Foreign Trade and Environmental TaxesDeputy Directorate-General for International TaxationDeputy Directorate-General for Local TaxesDeputy Directorate-General for Organization and Resource ManagementDirectorate-General forthe CadastreDeputy Directorate-General for Property Valuation and InspectionDeputy Directorate-General for Cadastral Management, Coordination and Citizen ServicesDeputy Directorate-General for Technology and Digital SystemsGeneral SecretariatCentral Economic-Administrative CourtDeputy Directorate-General for Organization, Resources and ProceduresGeneral Secretariat12 Court MembersRegional and Local Economic-Administrative Courts
List of secretaries of state OfficeholderTermGovernment1José Víctor Sevilla Segura8 December 19822 February 1984Felipe GonzálezJuan Carlos I2Josep Borrel2 February 198416 March 19913Antonio Zabalza Martí16 March 199124 July 19934Enrique Martínez Robles24 July 19938 May 19965Juan Costa8 May 19966 May 2000José María Aznar6Enrique Giménez-Reyna Rodríguez6 May 200028 July 20017Estanislao Rodríguez-Ponga28 July 200120 April 20048Miguel Ángel Fernández Ordóñez20 April 200411 March 2006José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero9Carlos Ocaña y Pérez de Tudela11 March 200611 June 201110Juan Manuel López Carbajo11 June 201124 December 201111Miguel Ferre Navarrete31 December 201112 November 2016Mariano RajoyFelipe VI12José Enrique Fernández de Moya12 November 20169 June 201813Inés Bardón Rafael9 June 201812 January 2022Pedro Sánchez14Hector Izquierdo Triana12 January 20229 June 202215Jesús Gascón Catalán9 June 2022Incumbent
See also Taxation in Spain Revenue service Balanced budget amendment Cadastre
References