Opposition parties threaten legal action against new rubbish tax in eastern Costa del Sol town

The initial approval of a new rubbish tax in Vélez-Málaga on the eastern Costa del Sol in compliance with European and state regulations, continues to generate a great deal of controversy in among the town hall's opposition parties, despite the fact that the tax will not come into force until 1 January 2026.

The opposition groups, Andalucía por Sí, Vox, PSOE and the independent councillor, Elías García, voted against the measure in the full council meeting which took place on Monday 31 March. The political parties' spokespeople argued that the tax has not been charged in Vélez-Málaga for more than 20 years due to a "political agreement" by which it was included in the IBI bill, with an increase in the tax rate, so they demand that the town hall lower this other tax to compensate for it and that there is no "double taxation".

The mayor of Velez, Jesús Lupiáñez (PP), has promised to look for "alternative measures" to reduce the tax burden on residents. **However, he justified the new tax by saying that it is "the imposition of the Government of Pedro Sánchez" and said that if it is not applied, Vélez-Málaga "could lose the option of obtaining new European funds".

The Andalucía por Sí, PSOE and Vox groups have decided to go a step further in their protests. The Andalusian spokesman, José Pino, announced last Friday that they are going to start a petition calling for a public consultation, which, although it would not be binding, would serve to show "the discomfort and indignation that exists due to the imposition of the new rubbish collection tax". The aim is to collect at least 6,300 signatures.

The spokesman for Vox, Javier Herreros, has shown his "absolute rejection" of the new rubbish tax. "Vélez-Málaga has one of the most expensive IBIs in the province, the circulation tax, we have the carriage tax, economic activities and now we have this double taxation, because we all know that this rubbish tax was being paid since time immemorial in the IBI. Now Lupiñez returns to emptying our pockets, making unbearable the tax burden borne by the people of Vélez, he said.

Herreros announced that they are going to start an information campaign throughout the municipality to inform residents of plans for this new tax. The expected cost of the service for the collection and treatment of solid urban waste amounts to 7,185,000 euros per year, according to the documentation approved on Monday by the town hall.

In the case of the new tax bill, each property will have a fixed annual quota of 62.66 euros, while the variable part will be calculated according to the cadastral value of the property, the surface area and environmental efficiency, distributed in 45%, 45% and 10%, respectively. Thus, the price range of the new tax will be between 101.86 and 135.54 euros per household every twelve months. In the case of industrial waste, it will have an average cost of 112.3 euros per year, while the variable part will be calculated according to the 13 economic categories and the surface area of the establishments in square metres.

The PSOE spokesman, Víctor González, announced at a press conference on Monday that they are going to file an official complaint to the initial approval of the bylaw to create this new rubbish tax and avoid "double taxation", as it is already included in the IBI. He explained that if they are not accepted, his party will lodge a judicial appeal for review.

González pointed out that the tax, which will raise 7.2 million euros, more than five million in the domestic sphere and two million for businesses, lacks the mandatory technical reports, which makes it "null and void".