After a month of protests, the Salobreña Mayor has announced that the proposed increase to the IBI (local property tax) will be ‘only’ 20%, instead of the originally announced 40%. The IBI will receive its definitive approval at the Plenary Meeting of the Town Council this Wednesday (19th December).

The Councillor for the Economy, Mari Carmen Rodríguez, explained that the new percentage would mean that the IBI will now represent 0.8575% of the value of the property, instead of the 1.0% originally announced. This means that a property with the catastro value of 23,000 euros will end up paying 32 euros a year more; i.e., 16 euros every six months.

The Mayor has said that the decision is final and the new rates come into being for 2013.

The Councillor for the Economy explained that the Town Council is concerned that they are able to carry out the economical adjustment plan, as failure to do so will mean direct intervention by the Central Government. In order to complete the task, the Town Hall is cutting back on such expenses as Christmas lighting and fiestas in general. They will also be going over service contracts, such as with the rubbish-collection company, which costs the town 4m euros a year.

This 20% announcement does not mean the end of protests, however, as on the very day that the Council made this announcement, protestors gathered outside the town-hall building to protest against any increase in the IBI, whatsoever.

(News: Salobrena, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)