Catalan Government to earn €300 million from new taxes in 2013

Barcelona (ACN).- The Catalan Finance Ministry has confirmed that the new taxes and public fees would add €300 million to the public coffers in 2013. The Catalan Parliament approved a law on Thursday fixing the new taxes and public fees, which had already been announced more than one month ago. The law was agreed between the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition ‘Convergència i Unió’ (CiU), which runs the Catalan Government, and the People’s Party, which runs the Spanish Executive. The new law creates two new fees: the drug prescription fee and the tourist tax. The drug prescription fee would add €180 million to the budget, since it will also save money due to its dissuasive impact. The symbolic tourist tax, which will be implemented in November, would also add €60 million. The remaining €60 million will come from other taxes and public fees. In 2012, these new taxes will bring less than €300 million, but no official figures have been released.

On Thursday, Oriol Pujol, Deputy Secretary General of the ‘Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya’, the Liberal party of CiU, announced that the new taxes would add €300 million to the Catalan budget. The Catalan Ministry confirmed the figures a few hours later.

The drug prescription fee

Catalan citizens will have to pay a €1 fee for each drug prescription from June onwards. However, neither low income earners will have to pay the fee: nor those on non-contributory pensions, receivers of the minimum income integration grant, and chronically-ill patients. Furthermore, the fee will not be charged for medication that costs less than €1.67 and after 62 prescriptions in one year. The Catalan Government expects to obtain €180 million in additional revenue in 2013, as the fee will also reduce spending due to its dissuasive impact.

The tourist tax

Visitors will only have to pay between 50 cent and €2.50 per night, depending on the hotel category. However, they will only have to pay for the first 7 nights, as from the eighth night, no fees will be charged. Neither children nor teenagers up to age of 16 and people participating in social programmes will have to pay the tax. Furthermore, group reservations will only be charged the equivalent of two people; the rest will be excluded, no matter the number of people in the group. The symbolic tourist tax will be implemented on November 1^st, leaving the summer-season without the tourist fee.

Barcelona will have a different rate from the rest of Catalonia. People staying in five-star hotels and cruise ships would pay €2.50 per night. Those staying in four-star hotels in Barcelona would pay €1.25 and in the rest of Catalonia €1 per night. The remaining hotel categories will be charged 75 cent per night in Barcelona and 50 cent in the rest of Catalonia. 30% of the money will go to the municipalities, except for Barcelona City Council, which will receive 50% of the amount. The Catalan Government expected to collect €13 million in 2012, and € 60 million in 2013.