Catalan tax agency takes shape

Catalonia took another step towards self-sufficiency on Friday, with the announcement that the Catalan tax agency (ATC) will open 28 new tax offices around the country on September 4. Tax secretary, Lluís Salvadó, said the new ATC network serves the dual aim of bringing the tax office closer to the public, as well as furthering the country’s  ambitions. In fact, Salvadó insisted that the new offices will be “a significant point of leverage for taking over full powers of taxation in the future."

Promising that the new offices will be “fully functional” from Monday, Salvadó vowed that the new Catalan tax network would mean an improvement for taxpayers in Catalonia, as the offices will bring together services that until now have been distributed among different departments.

Thus, the ATC offices will handle all taxes paid to the Catalan government, such as those linked with registering property, or legacies and donations, which until now have been centralized in the Zona Franca office. The network will also take charge of processing outstanding fines that until now have been handled by the Spanish State.

Salvadó outlined the vision behind Catalonia’s own tax system during a visit to the office in Vilafranca del Penedès, which will employ a score of people. Of the 28 offices around the country, some 15 will be run directly by the Catalan executive, with the other 13 managed in conjunction with other authorities, such as local, county and regional councils.

The tax secretary claimed that an intense amount of work had been carried out in the past few months to make the new ATC offices a reality, and that they will in total employ around 800 people, double the current staff levels. The new network also represents a step up in terms of technology, with automated processing of taxes up from 30% a year ago, to around 70% under the new system.