SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Dec. 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The central government has approved a Royal Decree-Law that extends tax benefits and other measures to continue helping affected companies and citizens to deal with the exceptional situation caused by the volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma a year ago.
This initiative, approved this Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, is included within Royal Decree-Law 20/2022 of December 27, on response measures to the economic and social consequences of the Ukrainian War and support for the reconstruction of the island of La Palma and other situations of vulnerability, published this Wednesday by the Official State Gazette (BOE).
“The Government of Spain continues to show signs of not forgetting the population and the productive fabric of the island of La Palma, one year after the end of the volcanic eruption in Cumbre Vieja. This Tuesday the Council of Ministers has approved a battery of measures that not only extend some of the initiatives adopted, but also make small adjustments to the existing ones to expand their benefits,” said the Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, in a note.
In his opinion, “these measures are part of the Government’s will to continue working for the recovery and socio-economic reactivation of La Palma, to alleviate the damage suffered by the people affected and guarantee that no one will be left behind due to the negative effects that this emergency has left on the island”.
Specifically, Royal Decree-Law 20/2022 maintains the moratorium on mortgage and non-mortgage loans for affected persons who have requested it, extended for another six months, including principal and interest, and even benefiting from it people who were not up to date with their loan payments, which will reduce the financial burden of those affected, in order to allow them a greater margin to face the urgent needs derived from their eviction and the damage suffered.
The regulation also extends the condition of beneficiaries of the aid for material damages in the habitual residence due to the volcanic eruption to family units or economic coexistence when none of its members holds ownership of the property, but at least one of them is owner of the usufruct over said home, which makes it possible to correct a formality that was preventing widows who had lost or suffered damage to their home from accessing aid from the Ministry of the Interior.
TAX BENEFITS IN THE IBI
Likewise, the tax benefits in the Real Estate Tax (IBI) and in the Tax on Economic Activities (IAE) for La Palma are extended to the areas that remain evicted, that have not been buried by the lava, but in which the Gas measurements carried out by the National Geographic Institute prevent those affected from returning to their homes or reopening their businesses and buildings that have not been buried, but isolated by lava, for which reason the owners have not yet been able to access or live in them.
Another of the measures agreed upon by the Council of Ministers affects temporary employment regulation files derived from force majeure situations caused by the volcanic eruption that are still providing coverage to a considerable number of workers from companies that have not yet been able to return to the activity, once again providing for the extension of the extraordinary measures already planned to alleviate this situation until June 30, 2023.
Likewise, it is established that the self-employed workers who were receiving on December 31, 2022 the extraordinary benefit for cessation of activity provided for in section two of article 26 of Royal Decree-Law 11/2022, of June 25, from 1 January 2023 will be able to continue receiving it.
EXEMPTION OF PAYMENTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY FEES
On the other hand, an exemption is established in the payment of Social Security contributions and concepts of joint collection, of an amount greater than that generally applicable, in temporary employment regulation files linked to the situation of temporary force majeure in the case of companies and workers in the Canary Islands affected by the volcanic eruption, with respect to the workers whose work activity was carried out, until the beginning of the situation of temporary force majeure, in the units of Puerto Naos and La Bombilla.
In order to contribute to the recovery of companies and self-employed workers affected in their activity by the volcanic eruption, a provision is also introduced aimed at extending for three more months the extraordinary regime of deferrals in the payment of Social Security contributions.
The Royal Decree-law approved this Tuesday also establishes that the financial expenses of the projects contemplated in the action plan defined by the La Palma World Biosphere Reserve Canary Islands Foundation must be considered eligible, with which it is intended to guarantee legal certainty and the viability of the
Projects.
