UPDATE 1-Spanish opposition hunts business vote

(Writes through with new detail, background)

By Jason Webb

MADRID Jan 15 (Reuters) - Spain's conservative opposition on Tuesday named a prominent businessman as a parliamentary candidate and promised to cut corporate tax in a bid to win voters unnerved by signs the boom could turn to bust.

"No one talks about the Spanish miracle any more," said Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy, who is betting a worsening economy will enable him to overcome the governing Socialists' narrow opinion poll lead by a parliamentary election on March 9.

Rajoy said Manuel Pizarro, former chairman of power company Endesa (ELE.MC), would run for parliament in Madrid, where he will be up against Economy Minister Pedro Solbes.

Rajoy would not confirm media reports that he intended to name Pizarro as economy minister if he wins the general election, but was quick to compare the corporate heavyweight with the incumbent.

"Pizarro has got a lot more enthusiasm than Mr. Solbes. He has a lot more courage. He's stronger and his understanding of the economy is a lot closer to reality," Rajoy said.

The Socialists were quick to attack Pizarro, who clashed with the government as he led Endesa through a drawn-out bidding battle and now serves on the board of Spain's biggest telecommunications company Telefonica (TEF.MC).

"Capitalism's shark has left its lair," wrote Socialist Party secretary Jose Blanco on his blog, adding that Pizarro obtained his top job at Endesa thanks to the former PP government.

"When he left Endesa, he was paid 15 million euros in salary and compensation," wrote Blanco. "How is he going to be able to say, as Rajoy says now, that we can't raise the minimum wage by 200 euros a month?"

The PP leader promised to cut corporate tax -- which is at 35 percent but due to fall to 30 percent -- to 25 percent in order to attract more investment.

He promised tighter statutory controls on state spending and more independence for economic regulators and accused the Socialists of failing to build on the reforms of previous PP governments since winning power in 2004.

Spain's economy has outgrown the rest of the euro zone for more than a decade and should expand by 3.8 percent this year, thanks in large part to a property and construction boom which now seems to have ended.

Data released on Tuesday showed inflation at a 12-year high.

A 30-percent rise in an already gaping current account deficit also added to concerns that the Spanish economy is uncompetitive and lacks the value-added industries necessary to sustain economic growth now the building boom is history.

Although unemployment has yet to rise much, opinion polls show the economy shot to the top of the list of voters' concerns late last year. These fears prompted Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to persuade the experienced Solbes, 65, to drop plans for retirement. (Reporting by Jason Webb and Andrew Hay; Editing by Richard Balmforth)