Santa Cruz de Tenerife 7 Apr. (Press Europa) –
The Forum for the Advancement of Tenerife has on Monday dismissed the proposal by CC to increase the IGIC applied to tourism, especially at a time when many of the Canary Administrations “lack the capacity” to implement their budgets and the Autonomous Community is facing a “scandalous figure” exceeding 1,000 million in 2024.
Business leaders are drawing attention to the fact that CC promised a reduction in the IGIC during the electoral campaign, yet now are advocating for an increase for tourism while incorrectly attributing all the “ills” of the islands to this subsector, despite it contributing nearly 4,000 million to the tax revenue for the Canary Islands that funds public services.
The forum acknowledges the “environmental footprint” left by tourism and the social and economic consequences it entails for its operational development. However, it also emphasises that tourism “is part of the solution for the betterment of the islands and should not be blamed for the economic and societal issues facing the Canary Islands, particularly regarding wealth distribution, housing shortages, and mobility challenges.”
They assert that “most of these issues stem from the inaction of state, regional, or local administrations that have failed to create an adequate framework for housing supply development, the growth of rental housing, and have not invested sufficiently in infrastructure development to alleviate the congestion on the island’s roads.”
Consequently, they advocate for convening all necessary meetings among representatives from the subsector, unions, and the Canarian administration to “seek agreements that will enhance the living conditions of workers and residents on the islands, considering the crucial role tourism plays in the well-being of these islands.”
In this context, they contend that the Convention on the Future of the Ref, which CC has announced following its regional congress, “could present an opportunity to address all these matters in a thoughtful and thorough manner.”
