SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 8 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The director of the Canary Islands Tax Agency, Raquel Peligero, has warned this Tuesday that the organization’s structure is “obsolete” and more personnel are needed to meet all the objectives, although she has highlighted that the digital transformation plan allows them to give a better service and accompany and inform taxpayers.
In an appearance before the Finance Commission of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, he has indicated that the current structure “does not support” the workload, especially since there are new powers such as taxes on waste or the return of the IGIC.
He has also indicated that they are making an “effort” to attract new staff — they go to universities to promote public service — but they are unable to do so due to the “high rate” of retirements.
In fact, it has indicated that the List of Jobs (RPT), with 743 places, is not fully covered. “There are difficulties, and we decided that everything that can be computerized should be done, and the few troops that we have, make them think so that the machines can do it”, he highlighted.
Peligero has advanced that it is about “not being left behind” with other tax agencies and working “facing the citizen to provide a good service” and maintains that through Next Generation funds
“a qualitative leap can be made” because 16 more workers will be incorporated.
He has also insisted on promoting voluntary collection from taxpayers because it has “more incidence” than a penalty regime, which represents a “paradigm shift”, to the point that the so-called “kind letters” tripled last year and exceeded 35,000.
“You have to make it easier for those who want to comply, accompany and inform them, make it easy and difficult for those who do not want to comply,” he has summarized by way of work philosophy.
However, he has assessed that despite the effects of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the volcanic eruption, collection grew in November, compared to the same month last year, by 41.2%, something that he does not attribute to inflation but to the increase in economic activity, with growth of more than 20% in voluntary collection.
“We are doing things well,” he pointed out, noting that 140,000 taxpayers were served last year and annual returns rose 11%.
Peligero has recognized that in Spain they are “out of step” with respect to other economies because “there is no fiscal awareness” which is why they link the future to “children”, hence they make visits to schools to explain what taxes are spent on .
Regarding the underground economy, he has said that it is one of the objectives of the agency but he has not hidden “it is submerged”, they are not included in the censuses and the only thing there are estimates. “We will collaborate in what we can,” she said.
