The plenary session of the Santa Cruz City Council has unanimously approved that chicharreros can pay their taxes through the Bizum platform. This is reflected in the agreement of the motion presented by the PSOE that obtained the support of all the groups. In this way, throughout 2022, the City Council undertakes to take the appropriate steps so that the Bizum platform is incorporated into the payment tools available to citizens for making municipal tax payments or any other economic transaction towards the City Council of Santa Cruz, or, where appropriate, to dependent municipal entities.
Yesterday’s plenary session also approved the reduction of the Construction and Works Tax (ICIO) to three non-profit entities that are carrying out reforms in their headquarters. The Councilor for Urban Planning, Carlos Tarife, explained that it is about subsidizing the Red Cross, Aspronte and the Obra Social de La Milagrosa. “In the case of the Red Cross, the bonus means that from having to pay 45,000 euros, now they only pay 2,000. The same thing happens to Aspronte, which goes from 35,000 to 1,800 euros, and La Milagrosa, which goes from 1,100 to 54 euros”. The dossier received the support of all groups.
Along with these two points, the Subsidies Plan of the Santa Cruz City Council was also approved, which, according to the Cs spokeswoman, Matilde Zambudio, grew 45% in relation to nominative subsidies, “without any justification”. A percentage that the councilor said was equivalent to an increase of more than two million euros.
From United We Can, Yaiza Gorrín, also pointed out the increase in subsidies and the appearance of new ones such as the 9,000 euros to the Center for Tourist Initiatives (CIT), or the 30,000 euros that are granted to the Juan XXIII Association for patron saint festivities, “when it is the only one to which this amount is granted for that reason, when the rest receive 500 euros”. Gorrín demanded greater transparency in the distribution of these amounts.
From the Government team, Alfonso Cabello, Councilor for Organization, defended that the increase in amounts, with respect to the 2021 Plan, is only 700,000 euros. “The difference is that we give 50,000 euros more to Fauca than in 2021 for the implementation of the Consumption Bonus; 400,000 that we allocate to the Círculo de Bellas Artes so that they face the rehabilitation works of the building; and 250,000 that is granted to the College of Architects for the drafting of projects that affect the municipal heritage”, he detailed. Cabello added that “the rest of the grants maintain amounts similar to those of previous years.”
