2023-06-02 21:15:33
The National Association of Local Public Treasury Inspectors (Anihpl) has warned that in the municipalities that are not registering a substantial increase in their collection as a result of the so-called “1.5% rate” -rate for the private use or special use constituted in the soil, subsoil or overhang of municipal public roads-, so that “fraud may be taking place” by the companies that operate supply services, “mainly electricity and gas companies”.
This was alerted during the Conference organized jointly between the Spanish Association of Tax Advisors (Aedaf) and Anihpl, pointing out that this rate has had a “notable impact” on municipal coffers due to increases in electricity and gas prices on last year, but that the lack of a collection increase may mean that irregularities are taking place and defrauding local treasuries. During the day, there was also a debate on the outsourcing of the inspection tasks of this rate. The inspectors indicated that it was “manifestly clear” that the determination of the gross income of the companies corresponds to the public employees of the Local Inspection and, “in no case, can it be left in the hands of contracted companies.”
They also discussed other rates, such as the tax that Barcelona City Council applies to home delivery companies that bill more than one million euros per year for deliveries to final destinations, better known as the ‘Amazon Rate’. Pending to see the effects of this tax, the inspectors estimated that the Barcelona City Council will collect 2.5 million euros in 2023, in case it prospers in court. Local inspectors recalled that the intention of the ‘Amazon Tax’ is to reduce the number of vans circulating in the city, which have multiplied “as a result of the boom in electronic commerce.” Likewise, and in order to reduce congestion, this tax aims to change the habits of final recipients, choosing to receive the products at collection points instead of home delivery as a more sustainable practice.
In this context, they recall that Barcelona is one of the cities in Europe with the most cars per square kilometer and that in Spain between 80 and 90% of deliveries are made at home, and they pointed out that vehicle congestion is at the center of the debate on a tax that has not yet been implemented in Spain but has been implemented in large cities such as Singapore, London, Milan, Stockholm and Gothenburg.
They also recalled that the so-called ‘Congestion Rate’ is included in the Sustainable Mobility Law that was in the process of being processed in the Congress of Deputies when on May 29 the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced the call for elections generals. However, they pointed out that the consistories can tax congestion through the so-called “non-tax public equity benefits”, with the possibility of managing via concession to a private company, a 100% municipal company or a public business entity.
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