Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Feb 16

FEATURED ARTICLES: "ETIAS info explained for new upcoming EU travel document" and "Important changes this year for your Spanish Income Tax returns"

OMG! There’s nothing like a good acronym to get the blood pumping. LOL. This week we’ve got information for you about two muddling mouthfuls of important initials you should be aware of – the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) and IRPF, which stands for ‘Impuesto sobre la Renta de las Personas Físicas’ or Tax on the Income of Physical Persons… as opposed to non-physical persons.

Here’s your TL;DR (which, admittedly, is still kind of L):

IRPF

That dreaded time of year is almost upon us again; desks littered with receipts, the scramble to locate 12 months' worth of invoices, and no matter how organised we are, a lot of us are still panicking at the last minute to submit our documentation on time. That’s right, it’s almost time to submit your 2024 Personal Income Tax return, the IRPF.

Late last year, the Spanish government implemented some big changes that will impact the 2023-2024 income statement, and the self-employed, or autónomos, will likely feel the most impact.

Until now, low earning autónomos who fell under a certain income threshold didn’t need to bother with the Income Tax return but this year, every self-employed person will have to go through the process, regardless of how much or how little they earned.

And there’s more: it no longer matters how much or how often you worked either. Even if you were only your own boss for a single day in the previous 12 months, you’ll still be expected to file a return.

When it comes to employees, there’s a bit of good news at least. Salaried staff earning between 15,000 and 21,000 euros per year will see a reduction in their taxable income. Moreover, taxpayers with annual incomes below 15,000 euros will no longer be required to declare their income, a change from previous years when the threshold was set at 14,000 euros.

With all this to get your head around, you’ll be glad to hear that there’s a little more time this year to get your affairs in order. The 2024 Personal Income Tax campaign will start eight days earlier than usual on April 3 and ending on July 1 instead of the customary June 30.

There are also several ways to save money on your return in the form of income tax deductions. Here are a few key ways that could save you thousands, according to the Spanish Treasury:

Electric car/motorcycle purchases: 15% deduction on purchase price, plus 15% of installation costs for charging points.
Childcare deductions: 1,200 euros per child under 3 years old.
Pension plans: Maximum contribution of 1,500 euros, plus optional additional 8,500 euros for company plans.
Foreign employment income: No taxes on earnings up to 60,100 euros if worked abroad in a country with similar tax rate and not a tax haven.
Donations: Deductions available for NGOs (10%-80%), political party memberships (20%), and union/professional association dues (20%).

It may all feel like a big hassle, but miss the return deadline at your peril. If you fail to send in your information on time, you’ll be fined 200 euros if you are due a refund. On the other hand, taxpayers owing money will be required to pay an additional amount ranging from 50% to 150% of the debt, depending on whether the failure to pay is deemed to be due to economic hardship or intentional avoidance on the part of the taxpayer.

ETIAS

We’ve mentioned it before, and it’s going to be late in coming into force, but slowly and surely more details are being released about the ETIAS travel document that Brits, Americans, Australians, Canadians and other nationalities will soon need to enter Spain and the rest of Europe.

A quick recap: as stated before, ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System and it will serve as a sort of identification or tracking system for people travelling through Schengen Area countries. It’s not a visa, exactly, but more like a way for the authorities to keep tabs on people travelling into, around and out of the Schengen free-movement zone (and to stop people abusing the 90-days-in-180 rule).

The current time expected for the ETIAS to come into force is in May 2025, but this has been delayed before and changes could yet be made to that projected date.

There are 60 nationalities who will need to apply for an ETIAS visa waiver permit to be able to travel to Europe, including the UK, USA and New Zealand, and 33 countries you will need one for if you want to visit them, including Spain.

Everyone will need one – babies, children, teens, adults, everyone. But under-18s and over-70s don’t have to pay. For the rest of the non-EU travellers, it will carry a flat rate of 7 euros.

As a measure to control migration in and out of the Schengen Area, the European Union is planning to introduce a new visa waiver procedure called the (ETIAS).

The aim is to have more information about who is inside EU borders at any given time, and who may be contravening the current rules that mean that Brits and people of other nationalities who don’t need visas to enter EU countries such as Spain cannot spend more than 90 days out of every 180-day period (solely for business or pleasure).

It’s totally online, 100% electronic and to get one you just need your passport and to answer a few questions. All in all, the ETIAS online application should only take around 20 minutes to complete.

Once approved (and that relies on additional requirements such as not being a terrorist), the ETIAS should be valid for around three years or until the end of your passport or travel document expires, whichever comes first.

But perhaps the most useful piece of information to know is whether you need an ETIAS if you live full time in Spain. It’s important to note that as the ETIAS visa waiver scheme is aimed at controlling short-term stays within the EU, it does not apply to anyone with residency in an EU country.

As such, if you have a TIE in Spain or any sort of residency document from any of the countries where an ETIAS is required, you do not need to get one to travel in and out of the EU. However, anyone coming out to visit you from outside the EU who does not have permission to live there full time will need to apply for one.

Murcia

Surely the best way for us to start this Murcia section this week is to get the bad stuff out the way first and finish on a high note, right?

In that spirit, we start with the news that the Condado burglar is back. You may remember that, shortly before Christmas, we brought you the story of a thief who was finally arrested after robbing and attempting to rob homes in the Condado de Alhama golf resort for the previous six months. Even worse, everyone affected in the resort knew exactly who he was because he lived in Condado’s La Isla and the people he was stealing from were his neighbours!

And while he was frequently reported to the on-site security team, they had their hands fairly tied and couldn’t make an arrest, and the Guardia Civil were slow to act because so few of the robbery victims had filed official police reports.

Well, now history seems to be repeating itself as the man is now back out on bail and has gone (almost) straight back to his life of crime. You see, he was reportedly on crutches and his leg in a cast for most of the month of January, so he was physically unable to go climbing into people’s homes to steal their belongings. But now he’s back in rude health, the first thing he’s gone and done is force Condado residents’ kitchen windows open again to lift their possessions.

The police have once again been notified and the security team is on alert. In the meantime, people who own property in Condado have been advised by the resort’s Security Committee to immediately report any suspicious activity, file a full police report (‘denuncia’) if they have been a victim themselves, and put window bolts on their windows to try to stop him from getting in.

In a far more horrifying incident this week, a 50-year-old Cartagena man set himself on fire in broad daylight on a busy city centre street this Tuesday. Witnesses – of which there were many of all ages – report that the poor man wandered up and down the street a few times before settling on what he considered to be a suitable spot, doused himself with flammable liquid from a couple of plastic bottles he had with him and promptly set himself alight.

He staggered around for a bit before falling to the floor where several onlookers attempted to put out the fire with jumpers and coats, before a local business owner managed to put it out using a fire extinguisher. Paramedics and firefighters were soon on the scene but could do nothing to save the man’s life.

Some of the people who saw the event, including a middle-aged woman and a 14-year-old girl, had to receive medical assistance from psychologists after what they saw. The Carnival events taking place just around the corner from where the incident took place also had to be delayed and the parade itinerary altered as a result of the sad and shocking occurrence.

Over in Murcia city, the most powerful electric car charging point in the whole Region of Murcia so far has just been installed at the Thader Shopping Centre. Developed by Iberdrola | bp pulse, this charging point for electric vehicles has eight charging points, two of which are capable of delivering 360kW and six others providing 180kW. With this set up, a charge of just a few minutes can deliver enough juice for a car to travel around 400 kilometres.

Iberdrola | bp pulse are already slated to install lots more of these charging points around the Region, not just in the capital, but there is still a long way to go until the community meets the heights of green travel that they aspire to as there really are not enough charging points available right now.

Saving the best for last, it’s a pleasure to be able to share the news that a beach in Murcia has been voted one of the best in Spain by National Geographic in its ranking of the 25 best beaches in the country.

This was the Playa de la Carolina in Águilas, which was included in the respected magazine’s list of the best Spanish beaches 2024. With its calm waves thanks to its easterly-facing direction, La Carolina is lucky enough to have plenty of lovely natural space around it and has great views of Águilas town and the Castle promontory. This isn’t the first time La Carolina has caught the attention of the media either. In both 2022 and 2023, it was recognised as one of the most beautiful beaches in the country by National Geographic.

What’s more, just last January National Geographic gave the Murcia town of Moratalla its due recognition as one of the country’s best “rural treasures” and listed it among the “essential getaways” of 2024.

Interestingly, there were no beaches from the Costa del Sol or from many of the most typical sandy beaches you might expect on the Nat Geo list. Instead, most of the top-rated beaches in Spain were in Asturias, Galicia and Cantabria on Spain’s northern coast – that area which boasts such a wealth of natural beauty but which you might think twice about swimming in, especially if you’re used to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean!

To see events coming up soon in the Region of Murcia, check out our EVENTS DIARY:

Spain

The saga of the farmers protests is well into it’s second week now, with more demonstrations planned up and down the country this weekend. But in a turn-up for the books, truck drivers and hauliers decided to abandon the strike after just two days.

Without going into a huge amount of detail, the Platform for the Defence of the Road Freight Transport Sector, a group which represents transport workers throughout Spain, said it originally decided to join the demonstrations as they felt it would be a good way to further their own agenda.

You might remember that the Platform effectively paralysed a large part of Spain’s economic activity with nationwide strikes in March 2022 and threatened to call another widespread work stoppage in November.

However, a spokesperson said that after two short days, the “reality” was that calling strikes that caused such disruption and ill-will was not the best way forward.

While this should come as some relief to motorists, the ongoing protests by farmers are certain to cause more upheaval in the coming days.

The Spanish government has introduced a new program to help young people and families purchase their first home. The program provides public guarantees covering up to 20% of the home's price (up to 25% for energy-efficient properties) for individuals aged 35 and under, as well as families with dependent minors.

The goal is to support those who want to own a home but struggle to save for the down payment. The government has set aside 2.5 billion euros for this initiative through the Official Credit Institute (ICO).

To be eligible, applicants must be over 18 years old and have an annual income below 37,800 euros per person (4.5 times the IPREM). For couples or families with dependents, the income limit will be adjusted accordingly. The program is expected to benefit around 50,000 people.

“The ultimate objective of the ministry is that to access decent housing, no Spaniard has to dedicate more than 30% of their income,” explained the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez.

Almost two years after Spain approved the use of medicinal cannabis to treat certain chronic conditions, Congress is studying ways to broaden the legislation so that the therapeutic compound can be applied to more ailments.

At the moment, it can only be prescribed for multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

However, a report which is now being closely examined by decision makers shows five other potential uses for medicinal cannabis: inhibition of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients; enhancing appetite and reducing weight loss in cancer and AIDS patients; pain relief, particularly for chronic, neuropathic, oncological, migraine and postoperative pain; reducing muscle rigidity in conditions such as multiple sclerosis; and seizure control in epilepsies resistant to other treatments.

The dispensing of this drug will still be tightly controlled by specialised physicians, and Congress will also insist on a centralised registry to monitor its effects on patients.

It’s estimated that medicinal cannabis could benefit around 200,000 additional people in Spain, but this number will ultimately depend on the specific applications for which the drug gets authorised in this country.

Tragedy struck PortAventura last weekend, a well-known amusement park located near Barcelona, when powerful gusts of wind caused a large tree to fall onto the children’s rollercoaster called the ‘Tomahawk’.

According to park officials, several branches struck passengers during the incident, resulting in injuries to 14 people, with two in critical condition.

The park claims that the accident was caused by Storm Karlotta, which brought strong winds to the region over the weekend, and the park’s management maintains that the incident was unrelated to the operation or maintenance of the park’s attractions, which meet strict safety standards.

As a precautionary measure, other rides at the Costa Dorada theme park were temporarily closed to prevent further accidents.

Alicante

It’s been more than two years since the palm trees that dominate the landscape of the picturesque Orihuela Costa town of Cabo Roig have been properly pruned and what began as an eyesore has quickly turned into an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen.

The overgrown trees, which tower over residential sidewalks and line the paths leading to the area’s beaches, have become infested with the dreaded red weevil, a prolific pest that devours the bark and is capable of destroying entire plantations in a remarkably short space of time.

To make matters worse, the beetles are now jumping from the municipal trees into those on nearby private properties, decimating carefully tended gardens.

The Cabo Roig and Lomas Neighbourhood Association has collected hundreds of signatures and presented them with a letter to the Orihuela City Council demanding urgent attention along the coast.

The group has highlighted the “calamitous state” of the trees and has accused the council of a lack of responsibility for allowing the situation to get so out of hand.

Last October, the same group complained about the lack of pruning that led to hundreds of slippery fruit collecting under the trees, causing a serious trip hazard. This was ignored and today, thanks to the weevil, dead and dried up palm fronds have joined the dates on practically every street in Cabo Roig.

The local council has actually selected a company named 'Ildo' to undertake the maintenance of the Orihuela Costa's parks and gardens, however, the start date of their contract has been postponed due to issues related to their corporate policies.

While awaiting the new contractors to begin their work, concerns have been raised among residents regarding their capacity to manage such a vast responsibility, which encompasses over 2.5 million square metres, 213 green spaces, and 7,000 palm trees.

The tranquil town of Villajoyosa, located near Benidorm in Alicante, has been left reeling in shock after the brutal murder of a 33-year-old Ukrainian man. On the afternoon of February 13, his lifeless body was found outside the garage of a home in the La Cala area, havinf suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Initial investigations suggest that the victim had suffered between five and twelve bullet wounds. In a subsequent development, a burnt-out vehicle thought to have been involved in the crime was located in El Campello, having fled the scene after the murder.

Evidence indicates that the shooting itself took place in the basement of a house, though the victim managed to escape and make his way to the parking lot's exit ramp before ultimately succumbing to his fatal injuries.

Although the man had been seen around the area several times before the fatal attack, neighbours don’t believe he was living there permanently.

Looking for a way to brighten up your winter mornings? Look no further than the fourth edition of Beethoven Fest in Altea! Enjoy a captivating classical music performance that will transport you to a world of beauty and elegance. And the best part? All concerts are completely free to attend and will take place at 12 noon at the Casa Cultura.

Mark your calendars for the first performance on Sunday, February 18, followed by another mesmerising show on February 28. The festival will conclude with a final concert on March 3, leaving you with memories to last a lifetime.

“These small-format concerts have become a point of reference for classical music in the city on winter Sunday mornings, both for Altea's residents and tourists, which last year's success is proof of,” Councillor for Culture Pepa Victoria Pérez highlighted.

She invites locals and visitors alike to “enjoy the music in a central place and at a time that allows them to enjoy a cultural activity that can be followed by the traditional custom of having an aperitif before lunch, or even enjoy a day of free time in Altea and taste the wide range of gastronomic offers in the municipality”.

Don’t forget to join the Costa Blanca What’s On and Where to Go Facebook group to see more things to do around Alicante province!

Andalucía

Off to the Costa del Sol now, where work began this week on the latest extension project to the Málaga city metro underground network.

This is the first phase of the project to extend the existing metro Line 2 all the way to the Civil Hospital. This first phase consists of building a new station on Calle Santa Elena. This whole thing is expected to take three years to complete and cost around 45 million euros.

This section alone is expected to add between 3.5 and 4 million passengers a year to the subway infrastructure, bringing the total annual number of users to an estimated 21 million.

Two more phases of this same extension project will follow in coming years, with 200 million euros eventually being spent before the Málaga metro stretched all the way to the Civil Hospital.

In a speech at the inauguration of works this Wednesday, Málaga Mayor Francisco de la Torre went even further, hinting that “once the extension is finished, it will continue even further north [pointing to Ciudad Jardín and La Rosaleda], I am convinced of it”.

At the same time, plans are under way to extend the C1 Cercanías commuter train line from Málaga to reach Marbella and Estepona, another long-term project that will eventually improve public transport links across the Costa.

Until then, mobility may be somewhat affected, leading several mayors of towns across the Costa del Sol to throw their support behind a petition to temporarily scrap toll charges on the AP-7 motorway.

Marbella Mayor Ángeles Muñoz explained, “The A-7 motorway has been too small for years to absorb the high level of urban and interurban traffic. If urgent measures are not taken with immediate effect, such as suspending the motorway toll, which is also the most expensive in Spain, the growth of the Costa del Sol will be severely hampered.”

Estepona Mayor José María García Urbano added, “It is necessary to adopt measures that provide a solution to mobility in such a dynamic area of the country as the Costa del Sol and the metropolitan area of Malaga.”

Their petition also aims to – in the very long run – extend the rail line to the Campo de Gibraltar region near Cádiz.

Finally, if you find yourself around the Costa del Sol this weekend, why not pop over to Torremolinos to enjoy the ‘XII Rock Route’, a series of free live music performances in bars and restaurants throughout the municipality. Catch rock, pop, indie, blues and rockabilly bands at a total of 20 concerts being held over the course of three days, from Friday February 16 to Sunday 18.

There’s something for every musical taste!

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