Lobbying actions across Spain have gathered pace during this last year, highlighting the ludicrous loss of revenue and negative affect on jobs created by the imposition of 12% matriculation tax on foreign owned charter yachts.
Several of the meetings held with the yachting sector in Palma de Mallorca have been orchestrated by local tourism specialist Kate Mentink, who has also kept well in touch with the majority holding Peoples Party in Brussels, via Rosa Estarás who is the Member of The European Parliament for The Balearic Islands.
Rosa has always shown her understanding of the problems and been keen to raise them in Brussels, with a view to getting an EU Commission ruling on the legitimacy of the tax within the context of European fiscal legislation and fair trade.
In July this year the EU Transport Commission in response to questions raised by the Balearics and Catalunya, suggested that the Spanish tax law on ‘certain means of transport’ (IEDMT) burdens with the 12% mat tax, yachts longer than 15 metres dedicated to commercial charter in Spanish waters coming from other EU member states. And crucially does so, even if they have satisfied all the certification and matriculation requirements demanded by the country of residence of their owners. (BYM Product and Industry News, 6 November 2011)