move seen as Zapatero seeking to take more direct control of economic policy himself.

By Q2 2009, unemployment had grown to 17.9%—more than 4 million unemployed—and the GDP had fallen by 4.2%. This prompted Zapatero to announce on 28 August 2009 that the 2010 budget would include a "limited and temporary" tax increase worth €16 billion—dubbed by many as the largest tax rise in history—to tackle the revenue fall and spending increase resulting from the crisis. Further measures, such as the suppression of the €400 tax reduction and a VAT increase from 16% to 18%—in its standard rate—and from 7% to 8%—in its reduced rate—were announced in the following weeks. The end of 2009 would see unemployment climbing to 18.8%, with public deficit soaring—11.4% of GDP—and forcing the governmentwater solubility and reversible inhibition of membrane activity while incorporating effective in vivo hepatocyte cell targeting. As before, the polynucleotide was covalently linked to the transfection polymer. Covalent attachment of the polynucleotide to the transfection polymer was maintained to ensure co-delivery of the polynucleotide with the transfection polymer to the target cell during in vivo administration by preventing dissociation of the polynucleotide from the transfection polymer. Co-delivery of the polynucleotide and transfection polymer was required because the transfection polymer provided for transport of the polynucleotide across a cell membrane, either from outside the cell or from inside an endocytic compartment, to the cell cytoplasm U.S. Patent Publication 20080152661 demonstrated highly efficient delivery of polynucleotides, specifically RNAi oligonucleotides, to liver cells in vivo using this new improved physiologically responsive