Alcalá de Xivert-Alcossebre
Alcala-Alcossebre Council will reduce IBI in spite of the significant reduction in municipal income
![[Img #55945]](upload/img/periodico/img_55945.jpg)
The governing group in the Alcala-Alcossebre Council will seek approval at the next full council meeting on 29th March for an 8% reduction in the Council Tax, reducing the base from 0.90% to 0.82%. It is calculated that this reduction will lead to a saving of 400,000 euros for local residents. The reduction has resulted because the governing group wishes to reduce the financial pressure on residents but is taking care to be prudent so as not to compromise the investments which the Council is making and the services and assistance they make available to residents.
“If we have not applied this reduction before, it was because of being prudent and taking responsibility until it was possible for the Council to get out of the economic disaster in which we found ourselves, the consequences of which we are still feeling, with payments required by rulings and the need which the reduction of the debt means”, the mayor, Francisco Juan explained.
Regarding the percentage of the reduction, Juan explained that “to reduce the IBI more is impossible if we want our citizens to continue receiving the services available from the Council, assistance, subsidies, etc. Originally we wanted to apply a reduction of between 15-10% but we saw that it was not possible. Fortunately, we have a healthy economy which has enabled us to apply this reduction but we must be aware that savings for our citizens is not just paying less IBI but also being able to continue counting on municipal services such as the Respite Unit with free transport for the users, the municipal gyms and the subsidies, to quote just a few examples, which are paid for through the taxes”.
This IBI reduction takes into account the reduction in income which it means for the Council, aspects such as the decline in the participation of State Taxes, the reduction in the IBI due to the ruling which states that undeveloped properties on land which can be built on pay IBI as if they were rustic – and the Council, voluntarily, applied this from 2015 – to which has to be added the return of funds generated by this regulation. In total, it is calculated that the Council will receive approximately 250,000 euros less because of these measures. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the IBI thanks to the existing remaining funds, “result of the good financial management we have practised and which we shall continue to carry out”, the mayor concluded.
The governing group in the Alcala-Alcossebre Council will seek approval at the next full council meeting on 29th March for an 8% reduction in the Council Tax, reducing the base from 0.90% to 0.82%. It is calculated that this reduction will lead to a saving of 400,000 euros for local residents. The reduction has resulted because the governing group wishes to reduce the financial pressure on residents but is taking care to be prudent so as not to compromise the investments which the Council is making and the services and assistance they make available to residents.
“If we have not applied this reduction before, it was because of being prudent and taking responsibility until it was possible for the Council to get out of the economic disaster in which we found ourselves, the consequences of which we are still feeling, with payments required by rulings and the need which the reduction of the debt means”, the mayor, Francisco Juan explained.
Regarding the percentage of the reduction, Juan explained that “to reduce the IBI more is impossible if we want our citizens to continue receiving the services available from the Council, assistance, subsidies, etc. Originally we wanted to apply a reduction of between 15-10% but we saw that it was not possible. Fortunately, we have a healthy economy which has enabled us to apply this reduction but we must be aware that savings for our citizens is not just paying less IBI but also being able to continue counting on municipal services such as the Respite Unit with free transport for the users, the municipal gyms and the subsidies, to quote just a few examples, which are paid for through the taxes”.
This IBI reduction takes into account the reduction in income which it means for the Council, aspects such as the decline in the participation of State Taxes, the reduction in the IBI due to the ruling which states that undeveloped properties on land which can be built on pay IBI as if they were rustic – and the Council, voluntarily, applied this from 2015 – to which has to be added the return of funds generated by this regulation. In total, it is calculated that the Council will receive approximately 250,000 euros less because of these measures. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the IBI thanks to the existing remaining funds, “result of the good financial management we have practised and which we shall continue to carry out”, the mayor concluded.
