Pact in extremis between PSC and Barcelona en Comú (BComú) to save the 2025 tax ordinances. After the clashes of recent days, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has finally accepted the demands of the commons to reject a ‘mini-terminal’ of luxury cruises and negotiate with the Port the reduction from seven to five piers.
In this way, the ordinances have been able to be carried out, which have also had the support of ERC. For their part, Junts, PP and Vox have voted against considering that the ordinances increase the tax pressure of citizens.
Currently, the port has seven terminals under concession. Permits A and B are scheduled to expire in 2027 and 2030, respectively.
Punishment of tourism
The president of BComú, Janet Sanz, declared shortly before the last plenary session of 2024 that the Collboni executive had committed in writing not to develop new infrastructures of this type. He has also claimed that thanks to the new ordinances the tourism sector “will pay more.”
Indeed, the new rates that will come into effect on January 1 include the increase in the Real Estate Tax (IBI) for luxury hotels and cruise terminals, which goes from 1% to 1.17%, as well as a mandatory rate for tourist buses of 80 euros (four times higher than the current one). In addition, the regulation also provides for an increase from four to eight euros in the tourist tax cap.
After this agreement with the commons, it is expected that the municipal government will be able to approve the 2025 municipal budgets at the beginning of next year. At the moment the 2024 accounts have been extended, but Collboni hopes to reach an agreement easily.
Collboni punishes cruise terminals to approve 2025 tax ordinances