Ronda to keep property tax, building tax and vehicle registration tax unchanged for the third year running

“We will not be increasing the ICIO, the car tax – as it is commonly known – or the IBI,” the mayor said. The announcement comes as the economy councillor, Ángel Martínez, and the treasury department, headed by Fernández herself, are working on the document that will set the council’s revenue and expenditure for next year. As yet, neither the total amount nor the breakdown of the main budget headings has been disclosed.

With this decision, the local council is sticking to the line it has taken in the last two budgets. Fernández presented it as a political choice aimed at preventing a greater burden on the people of Ronda and contrasted it with the national taxes paid by citizens. She also linked the possibility of maintaining these taxes to her team’s economic management, which she described as positive.

The specific scope of the announcement centres on these three taxes. The council’s statement does not detail changes to other tax categories nor does it include an estimate of their impact on tax revenue. Nor does it constitute approval of the 2027 accounts: this is a decision brought forward by the mayor following the conclusion of the plenary session, while preparations for the budget are still ongoing.

As a starting point, the council presented the 2026 accounts, which showed a consolidated total of almost 40.5 million euros – four per cent more than the previous financial year. That proposal combined maintaining tax levels with budget growth and included the provision of services and the creation of new infrastructure among its objectives. This figure gives an indication of the scale of the local authority’s economy, although it is not yet known by how much next year’s budget will increase or decrease.

A significant proportion of these funds was allocated to the day-to-day running of the local authority. The staff budget alone amounted to 20.4 million euros, more than half of the budget according to the council’s presentation. When drawing up the new budget, the council will need to specify the allocations required to meet these obligations and provide these services, as well as the funds available for investment.

The stability of taxes, in any case, must be distinguished from the situation regarding local charges. Back in November 2024, when she announced the freeze for 2025, Fernández warned that residents would indeed face an increase in their waste collection bills. The mayor attributed that rise at the time to the requirements of national legislation. This precedent explains why keeping the property tax or vehicle tax unchanged does not mean that all municipal charges will remain the same.

In addition to these measures, Ronda offers discounts on water, sewerage and refuse collection bills for certain groups. The application process, which opened last April, provided for reductions for large families, single-parent families with children, people aged 65 and over and people with reduced mobility who met the eligibility criteria. The deadline for applications was 30 September. These measures are separate from the announcement for 2027; the next step will be to ascertain how they fit into the new budget and what resources are earmarked for each municipal service.