Metropolitan tax reform has reached Spain’s Congress as Junts per Catalunya seeks to restore higher contributions from major corporations in the Barcelona area.
The parliamentary group has submitted a proposal to amend the Local Finance Law, aiming to legally establish the Metropolitan Tax of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) after repeated legal challenges from the Supreme Court.
Consequently, the initiative specifically targets large companies like Endesa, Naturgy and Enagás, which have successfully challenged key elements of the tax in court.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Furthermore, the proposal seeks to ensure these corporations with extensive properties across the AMB’s 36 municipalities contribute more than individual residents.
Metropolitan Tax Reform Aims to Rebalance Corporate Contributions
The parliamentary amendment, signed by deputy Josep Maria Cruset, establishes three differentiated tax rates: 0.1% for rural properties, 0.2% for urban properties (households), and 0.3% for Special Characteristic Properties (BICES). This represents higher taxation than the AMB previously applied to large companies at 0.2%.
Meanwhile, the proposal also suggests applying the surcharge to the IBI’s liquid base rather than the taxable base, allowing for discrimination between different taxpayer reductions. Additionally, it would grant the AMB authority to establish differentiated rates for non-residential urban properties, applicable to a maximum of 10% of highest cadastral value.
According to recent fiscal developments in Catalonia, the current Local Finance Law prohibits metropolitan areas from implementing such differentiated approaches, limiting the surcharge to a “single percentage.” The AMB remains the only metropolitan area constituted as such in Spain.
Isidre Sierra, Junts representative in the AMB and mayor of Sant Climent de Llobregat, explains their argument centres on large companies “returning to assume the greater weight of the Tax as until now.” He emphasises they want the tax to be balanced and not fall unfairly on households or small businesses.
The parliamentary initiative arrives after high-level discussions between AMB officials and the Ministry of Finance failed to achieve this same reform. Of the nearly €40 million the administration will stop collecting from the Tax, approximately €15 million previously came from large corporations’ BICES properties.
Junts maintains that, while acknowledging the state won’t compensate the AMB for lost tax revenue, their priority remains ensuring individuals don’t ultimately bear this fiscal burden. The metropolitan taxation already featured among fiscal demands Junts planned to negotiate with PSOE regarding Catalan affairs before the recent political rupture emerged.
Stay connected with us on social media for the latest updates and news!
TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | X
Source: Read original article
