Bando
de la Huerta Festival,
Murcia
More
information about traffic fines
In
our last newsletter we linked you to an article from
Money Saver Spain about paying traffic fines. Its popularity
suggests that many of you have been caught doing a little
over the limit. So, we've now written our own
article about what you should know when it comes to
traffic fines. We hope you never have to use
it:
abacoadvisers.com
Child
poverty
Serious
concerns are being raised about child poverty in Spain.
The charity Save the Children is urging Spain
to do more for deprived children where, it claims, one
in three children are at risk of living in poverty.
The charity has launched a petition which calls for:
- child benefit payments to be made to all families
living below the poverty line
- an increase in the amount paid
- a move to monthly instead of twice yearly payments
Currently a family with one child who has an income
of below 959.93 euros currently receive child benefit
of 291 euros.
If you live in Spain and would like to add your signature
to the online petition, you can sign here:
savethechildren.es
Wrong
facts about Spain
In
the last newsletter we gave you 30 facts about Spain.
In this article David Ruiz provides us with 10 wrong
facts about Spain. It's a good reminder how important
it is to form your own judgements based upon meeting
and knowing the people rather than from what you hear
in the press.
After all, there is as much difference between the people
in the same country as there is between the people in
different countries:
torreviejatranslation.com
Which
parents' day do you celebrate?
It
can be very confusing at this time of year if you have
a child living with you in Spain but you originate
from another country. Which mothers' day/ fathers'
day do you celebrate? They all seem to come at once
and you have to be careful that you don't slip through
the net and end up not being celebrated on any of them!
Just as a reminder, so that you can give the hint if
necessary, mothers' day in Spain is on 4th May.
Don't miss out!
Top
10 Unfortunate village names
We
won't spoil it by telling you them all now but some
of them are very unusual. We'll just give you a flavour
- 'Cenicero' which, if you know your Spanish,
means 'ash tray'.
To find out the rest we'll let you take the link. Perhaps
you have some of your own:
eyeonspain.com
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Confusion
about the resident tax declaration
It's
the end of the Ábaco roadshow in the Costa Blanca
Region. At four different locations we have been explaining
to residents and non-residents about tax in Spain
as well as helping resident pensioners to register for
Imserso, the subsidised Spanish holiday programme.
We were delighted to meet so many of you but also concerned
about the amount of confusion and uncertainty
there still seems to be when it comes to making a resident
tax declaration.
If you couldn't make one of our events but have questions
about tax please contact Jane at 96 679 3748. It
is coming up to the deadline for resident tax declarations
on the 30th June. Jane and other colleagues will
be happy to help you with this too.
If you are unsure about whether you should make a resident
tax declaration in Spain:
abacoadvisers.com/mustyoumake
For
more information about the resident tax declaration:
abacoadvisers.com/residenttax
Watch
out if you've had a home improvement done in the last
15 years
We
know that some people in the Torrevieja area have been
contacted about home improvements they have made
to their property in Spain without having the
town hall's approval.
The law is just about to get even tougher. The window
for requiring property to be returned to its previous
state or acquiring retrospective planning permission
is increasing from 4 to 15 years.
People might be surprised about the type of home
improvement that requires permission. Our articles
explain a little more:
abacoadvisers.com/laws
abacoadvisers.com/keeping
Taking
estate agents to task over the EPC
There
has been a lot of confusion around the Energy Performance
certificate (EPC) and what exactly was expected
from house sellers and estate agents. Numerous warning
have been issued about how the Spanish government
is going to ensure compliancy. It had all gone quiet…until
now.
We have recently heard that action is being taken against
those estate agents that are not following the
new law correctly. It has been reported that five
estate agents in Navarra are to be prosecuted for
advertising homes without showing the EPC rating.
The estate agent is required to show at least the performance
certificate grading (A - G) and emissions amounts
in their windows, on their websites and on portals where
they might be advertising the property for sale or for
rent. For more information about the energy performance
certificate in Spain:
abacoadvisers.com
Source in Spanish:
noticiasdenavarra.com
Will
we be able to enjoy the chiringuito this summer?
The
chiringuito or 'beach bar' is a feature
of Spanish beaches. It provides welcome refreshments
as well as miscellaneous beach paraphernalia - all aimed
at making your holiday that little bit better.
However, at the time of writing this article you won't
find them operating on most of the beaches of Orihuela
Costa. To find out why:
www.abacoadvisers.com
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