Spain agrees on temporary wealth tax, hikes for big earners

Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government said Thursday that residents whose wealth exceeds 3 million euros (US$2.9 million) will be subject to a new asset tax in 2023 and 2024.

Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero described the temporary wealth tax, which she said will affect 23,000 people, or 0.1 % of taxpayers, as one of “solidarity.”

She said people with holdings of 3 million to 5 million euros will be taxed 1.7% and those whose personal worth is 5 million to 10 million euros will be taxed at 2.1%. Individuals with fortunes above 10 million euros will pay 3.5%.

The tax is part of a range of adjustments planned for Spain’s upcoming budget that are aimed at alleviating the hardship caused by rampant inflation and soaring energy prices.

The government also plans to increase the income tax rate from 26% to 27% for people earning more than 200,000 euros. The capital gains tax for incomes above 300,000 euros will go up to 28%, an increase of 2 percentage points.

The Socialist party and its junior far-left coalition partner, Unidas Podemos (United We Can), agreed on the measures, which are expected to bring in 3.1 billion euros over the next two years. The government said the money would be used to finance initiatives to help people with lower incomes.

The government plans to reduce the income tax on annual wages of up to 21,000 euros. Montero said this will benefit some 50% of the workforce given that the average annual salary in Spain is 21,000 euros.

She said the changes would make Spain’s tax system “more progressive, efficient, fair and also enough to guarantee social justice and economic efficiency.”

The governing parties also agreed to reduce the sales tax on feminine hygiene products from 10% to 4%.

Spain recently approved windfall taxes on large energy companies and banks and has temporarily slashed the sales tax on natural gas from 21% to 5%.

The annual inflation rate climbed to 10.5% in Spain last month.

Spain’s regional governments also have some leeway on taxation. Two of them run by the conservative Popular Party — the country’s main opposition party — have cut real estate taxes. Regional governments run by the Socialists plan other tax relief measures for low income earners.

Ciaran Giles, The Associated Press

Ciaran Giles is a reporter with The Associated Press,  an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City and founded in 1846.