Tax revenues collapse in the province laid bare

The collapse of the Spanish economy caused a massive drop in the amount of taxes collected from across Spain. But a new study by the association of tax inspectors Gestha has laid bare the true cost to Spanish coffers. Almería was -and continues to be- one of the provinces which was most affected by the bursting of the economy bubble in 2008. This was most evident in 2012, when the province had the highest unemployment Continue reading Tax revenues collapse in the province laid bare

EU investigates Spain over the foreign asset declaration form 720

Remember the foreign asset declaration form? The infamous “modelo 720” which obliges residents to declare all major assets outside of Spain, such as bank accounts or a house back in Blighty. You can be fined a vast amount for not declaring these assets. If you don’t file the tax form being obliged to do so, or file it incorrectly, you get fined €5000 per mistake, with a minimum fine of €10.000. And if you don’t Continue reading EU investigates Spain over the foreign asset declaration form 720

Tax Office in mass survey to find illegal swimming pools

The Tax Office (Hacienda) is carrying out a mass survey across the province to detect undeclared property improvements such as swimming pools and extensions. As these things are found, your property value will be automatically updated and your annual IBI will be increased, as well as other taxes based on property worth. The survey, which is also going on in other parts of Spain, will be completed by 2016. Whether they will attempt to count Continue reading Tax Office in mass survey to find illegal swimming pools

Spanish football clubs owe 564 million euros in unpaid tax

And Hacienda is going after them. La Liga, the organisation that represents football clubs, earlier this week released a statement saying that its members had paid 165 million euros this year towards unpaid back tax, but Hacienda has now released a counter statement saying they’ve only paid 99 million euros so far, and they still owe 564 million. That’s excluding the football clubs in Pais Vasco and Navarro, as those regions control their own tax Continue reading Spanish football clubs owe 564 million euros in unpaid tax

Handwritten tax forms banned by the Tax Office

Hacienda has banned handwritten tax forms and will reject any sent in that are not “mechanically printed”. Which is a bit of a bugger for the 35,000 tax payers who last year didn’t have access to a computer and actually went down to their nearest tax office, got the forms, found a pen and filled it in, longhand. Hacienda says that some tax payers -such as the elderly or the illiterate, their words – don’t Continue reading Handwritten tax forms banned by the Tax Office

Tax Office wants to run snitches

The Tax Office Hacienda has asked for permission to be allowed to run informants (also known as snitches, grasses, stool pigeon or finks). The Spanish call them chivatos, and those who lived through Franco’s day fondly remember the great chivato massacre of 1976. The body representing Tax Inspectors today said that if Inspectors were allowed to run their own networks of informants, similar to the Police, paying them cash in exchange for information, things would Continue reading Tax Office wants to run snitches

Chaos at the tax office as online IVA declaration collapses under pressure

The Tax Office (Hacienda) has changed the system so you can only declare your IVA online through their webpage. No more filling in of forms and posting them off… Well, the theory is good, but the implementation has been chaotic, with users not understand the system, the system not being up to the job (complicated, slow and keeps crashing) and the only helpline a premium line 901 with not enough operators and queue times of Continue reading Chaos at the tax office as online IVA declaration collapses under pressure

Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, eBay, Microsoft & Yahoo paid just a million in tax

Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, eBay, Microsoft & Yahoo paid a combined total of 1.251.608 euros in tax last year in Spain. Not news, after the UK fuss, but it seems to have shocked Spain. They follow the usual protocol of just having a local subsidary to look after advertising, merchants, etc in the country, but booking all revenue offshore. What’s worse, is that they have a very small combined staff in Spain. Meaning that, unlike the Continue reading Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, eBay, Microsoft & Yahoo paid just a million in tax