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Like many of the other European governments, Spain’s new Partido Popular is adopting a hard-line stance towards the country’s economy. Since officially taking power a week before Christmas, the new government has already vowed to cut down on tax evasion and trim the public sector.
With more and more sales taking place online, people are increasingly finding that cash is becoming an archaic concept. In fact companies anticipate that clients will want to pay via a credit or debit card, therefore businesses from family corner shops to multinational chains are making this process as easy as possible.
Anyone who lives in Spain will have experienced the popularity of the Spanish puente (literally ‘bridge’), which results when a Public Holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday and workers take an extra day to make a four-day weekend.
While previously any move to change this tradition might have attracted howls of protest from outraged employees, the currently rocky economic climate has led the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organisations (CEOE) to suggest that in the future all Public Holidays should be moved to the nearest Monday or Friday, thereby rendering the time-honoured four day puente extinct, a proposal that has been greeted with a surprising lack of animosity from unions.
In order to improve the status and reputation of Spain’s huge real estate industry three new qualifications (covered by the BOE. 276 Royal Decree 1550/2011 of 31 October) have been introduced that should improve the quality of professionals working in the industry.
The European Commission has announced that it will order Spain to appear before the European Court because of its ‘discriminatory rules relating to Inheritance and Gift Taxes’. This situation has arisen because, despite receiving two previous warnings in 2010 and earlier this year, non-resident EU citizens are still being asked to pay higher taxes than those resident in Spain.
When the Spanish public went to the polls to elect a new government on Sunday 20th November, they had one hope in common – that whatever the outcome there would be a decisive victory. A hung Parliament could have resulted in a disastrous future for the country, with politicians fighting amongst themselves and blocking legislation prepared by the opposing party.
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