Tax agency expansion prepares Catalonia for independence, says president

The deployment of the Catalan Tax Agency (ATC), which assumed new tax collection responsibilities last Friday and opened 27 new offices throughout Catalonia on Monday, serves as a proof that Catalonia is ready to act on the results of the independence referendum to be held on October 1, Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, said on Monday.

Taking on the responsibility for collecting taxes, such as inheritance and donation taxes, is a step further towards handling all of the taxes which Catalonia is currently authorized to collect, according to Spanish law. It is no secret either that the current ATC is setting the foundation for a potential tax agency of an independent state.

“It is clear that we are putting in place the structures needed in order to be ready to undertake the will expressed by the Catalan people,” Puigdemont said, stressing that all steps are being taken with respect to legal and technical security. “Whatever [the people’s decision] is, we are saying that we are ready.”