If your weekly supermarket shop seems to be eating an ever-bigger chunk of your pay packet, a proposal from Spain’s opposition could make an immediate difference to what you pay at the till, at least if it becomes law. The PP wants basic food to have zero VAT, energy VAT cut from 21% to 10% and income tax bands adjusted for inflation. 

The party is also proposing bigger tax deductions for families with children. None of these changes has been approved. They are proposals that the PP says it will take to Congress and the Senate for a vote. 

Zero VAT on the supermarket basics

Alberto Núñez Feijóo announced the package on Thursday, September 24, during a visit to a dairy company in Alovera, Guadalajara. Under the proposal, VAT on basic foods would fall from the current 4% rate to 0%. The list includes milk, cheese, oil, eggs, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and preserves. 

For shoppers, the idea is straightforward: remove the tax from those products and reduce the amount paid at the checkout. Whether the full saving would reach consumers would depend on how businesses pass the tax reduction through to prices, so the proposal should not be read as a guaranteed reduction in every supermarket bill. The PP is presenting the measure as part of a package aimed at easing pressure on household finances as prices continue to rise.

What deflating IRPF actually means

The other proposal that could affect working households is deflating the IRPF, which means adjusting income-tax bands in line with inflation. The issue is that wages can rise simply because prices have gone up. If tax brackets remain unchanged, part of that nominal increase can push someone into a higher tax band even though their purchasing power has not actually improved. The PP wants the income-tax system adjusted to take inflation into account. The party is also proposing to double certain deductions for children, retroactively from August until the end of the year. 

Under its figures, the deduction for a first child would rise from €2,400 to €4,800, while the amount for a second child would increase from €2,700 to €5,400. The proposed figures rise further for third and subsequent children.  For a family with two children, the PP calculates that the measure would mean an additional €400 in savings by the end of the year. It also wants the deduction for a child under three to rise from €2,800 to €5,600.  Those are the PP’s calculations, rather than guaranteed savings.

Energy tax would also be cut

Energy is another major part of the proposal. Feijóo wants VAT on energy reduced from 21% to 10%, covering the cost pressures affecting electricity, gas and fuels.  The proposal comes after the government’s previous tax reductions on fuel and electricity ended on July 1, with those measures replaced by direct discounts on petrol that have since been reduced. 

Energy prices have remained a concern going into the autumn. Recent reporting has also pointed to renewed pressure from higher gas and energy costs, with the government looking at ways to contain the impact on households and businesses. 

Farmers, autónomos and businesses

The PP package is not limited to household taxes. Feijóo is also proposing lower costs for farmers through changes affecting fertiliser and fuel expenses, alongside measures intended to reduce production costs.

The party wants progress on the European measure to remove VAT obligations for autónomos with annual turnover below €85,000 and is calling for fewer bureaucratic requirements for businesses.  The PP says unnecessary administrative procedures add costs which can ultimately feed into prices.

What happens next?

The proposals now face the political process rather than automatically becoming changes to Spanish tax law. The PP says it will take the package to both Congress and the Senate for debate and voting. The Senate has a PP majority, while approval in Congress would depend on the parliamentary numbers there.  For households, that means there is nothing to change on a supermarket bill or tax return just yet.

If the measures eventually pass, however, the potential changes would reach several everyday expenses at once: the food shop, energy bills and income tax, with additional relief proposed for families with children. For anyone already watching every euro at the checkout, that is the part worth keeping an eye on.

You gave your phone number to the administrator of your building. Could it be passed to the community president without asking you? A Spanish lawyer says it can be used for community business, but there are limits to how they can use it beyond that, where privacy rules kick in.

Can the president really get your number without asking?

A president of a Spanish community of owners asked their building administrator for the phone numbers and email addresses of its 57 owners. The administrator refused, citing data protection, and in a report by El País, lawyer Isabel Martínez said that refusal misunderstood who controls the information.

It get’s a little messy, and like many Spanish beaurocratic procedures, it feel like it could be much simpler. The way it works is the administrator holds owners’ contact details for the community. Because the president represents that community, Martínez says they can access details needed for community business without asking every owner for permission first. The administrator, if reluctant to give said details away, cannot simply refuse by citing data protection law. Spain’s data protection agency confirms that the community is responsible for its owners’ data, while the administrator handles it on the community’s behalf.

That doesn’t give the president free rein though. The details may be used for community matters, such as dealing with building problems or communicating with owners. They cannot then be passed around to other neighbours, used to pursue a personal disagreement or kept for an unrelated purpose.

The WhatsApp rule many buildings could overlook

There is a difference between contacting an owner and putting their number into a group chat where other members can easily see it and save it.

The AEPD’s guidance for communities of owners says a number an owner has provided may be used for community communications through WhatsApp. Adding that owner to a group, however, requires their express, informed consent. The lawyer also warns against sending a group email with every recipient’s address visible; the addresses should be hidden using BCC.

The consequences of sharing too much are real. In one case, a community faced a €2,000 penalty after its president posted a resident’s bank receipt in a building WhatsApp group, exposing her name, address and bank details. That case showed the extent to which the situation can get to when information is shared in bad taste and without consent in a group chat, far passed simply adding someone’s number. 

EWN has previously reported a separate €1,000 community privacy fine involving details of a neighbour’s debt displayed on a noticeboard. 

What if the administrator refuses?

If you are the president, ask in writing for the contact details already held by the administrator, explain which community duties require them, and ask for a specific reason if access is refused. The lawyer’s answer addresses access to existing records; it doesn’t mean every owner must supply a phone number or email address.

Home owners should know that their details may be available to the president of their urbanisation or building for community business, but that does not make their number available to the whole neighbourhood.

Engines have been roaring through the hills of Andalusia for eighteen years, and this October 6, the Classic & Sportscar Club Southern Spain will mark the date with an anniversary dinner and party.

An evening of celebration for petrolheads old and new

Members and guests are invited to gather at La Sierra Restaurante, the beautiful restaurant perched in Cerros del Aguila, where the club regularly host their evenings, on Tuesday, October 6. Doors open at 7.30pm, with celebrations getting fully under way at 8pm. Arrivals will be greeted in style with a crisp glass of cava, before settling in for an evening of celebration.

Founded in 2008, the club has spent nearly two decades bringing together fans of vintage and sports motoring across southern Spain. This anniversary dinner is to celebrate those that share enthusiasm for beautifully kept cars and the friendships that have formed along the way, and to make new ones.

How to get involved, come along and support the club

Dinner, dancing and live music are on the cards for the evening to keep you fed and on your feet well into the night. Tickets are priced at €35 per person, and is open long-standing club members, people wanting to support the club or those curious and want an evening to soak up the atmosphere. A semi-formal or smart dress code applies, so guests are encouraged to dust off their glad rags and get glam for the occasion. Menu’s will be posted on their website and social media channels close to the time for you to see what mouth watering treats await.

Those hoping to secure a place at the table are advised to act quickly, given the popularity of the club’s events among the local motoring community. Bookings and enquiries can be made by emailing csccspain@gmail.com or visiting csccspain.com for further details.

So pop the date in your diary and gather together your friends and family to enjoy a night of good food, good company and a celebration of 18 amazing years.