Live News From Spain As It Happens

RonArt said:
Saturday, November 24, 2012 @ 3:50 AM

Now you're talking. Brilliant idea! I'm sure there are many pros and cons. My first thought is that, to lessen the chances for abuse, the owners should not be allowed to work. That would limit the homebuyers to retirees and investors (maybe?).

Elizabeth Moon said:
Saturday, November 24, 2012 @ 6:02 AM

In my opinion - (having lived in Spain for over 6 years) - Spain willl not be able to improve their financial crisis. Those in charge have no idea how to attract new investment - or how to improve the housing crisis for people who bought homes in good faith in many areas of Spain. When we bought here - we thought that the fact that Spain was in the EU - meant people would have certain rights to a fair and legal process. Unfortunately - the E.U. is a complete sham - it's a gravy train for politicians. They didn't look in to the basics when asking countries to join the eu - they concentrated on what was in a sausage rather than what the health, pension, working practices of these countries etc. was. It was easier to ignor the fact that most EU countries have a broken social system paying out too much and not sorting out their taxing situation (our Town Hall has only just got round to collecting our IBI taxes back dated for 4 years - and this has only happened because they now have UK councillers making it happen) . Those who bought and invested here walked into corrupt town halls - and a government who blamed the buyer. I know people are now buying - but at the expense of the poor folk who came and invested 6 years ago and who paid a high price for Spanish incompetence.The Abogados are also corrupt - so where does a person go for help?? The Spanish will always blame others for their mistakes (oops - they don't make any!!) - and most people I know who invested here (silly word 'invested') - would never do so again. Germany and the U.k are expected to pay for the incompetence of all these other EU countries who have no idea how to market the main resouce they have ie 'The Sun'. They want to carry on doing the same thing and get bailouts. We are lucky because we don't want to sell our home at the moment - we'll probably have to give it away when we do!! Who would want residency in a country that has no idea how to govern? Who would want to pay 160,000 euros and over for property in Spain? It's a pathetic attempt to try and 'give' something no-one would want. Why don't they sort out the mess they are in first - and show that Spain has actually moved into the 21st century and not stayed in the 19th!!

John Moran said:
Saturday, November 24, 2012 @ 6:30 AM

Elizabeth whats even worse is when you buy a property from the Bank after agreeing a price - pay the 8% tax to then receive threemonths later from the tax office asking for *% of another 40,000 euros because they feel you didnt pay the right price - what a joke spain has become - when they say they want to boost property sales then do this - crooks

George said:
Saturday, November 24, 2012 @ 8:15 AM

I wouldn't worry; there's not many properties in Spain worth 160,000 Euros anyway. Elizabeth Moon is of course totally correct, but I love the place. It's incompetent, corrupt, averyone to blame except themselves, profligate with tax income, enormous salaries for civil servants, backward and primitive. For me it's like home from home-I'm from South Africa.

John said:
Saturday, November 24, 2012 @ 10:02 AM

Franco sold the sun in the fifties and dragged the infer structure from a medieval concept and a horrendous civil war into the twentieth century. Then in the seventies the Spanish were going all over Europe to find work, remember the Spanish maids that hotels had at that time in England. In 1985 Spain joined the EU and with Italy became the manufacturer of all the nasty chemical processes that no other country wanted. Forward to the property boom which started at the same time and continued till 2008. Historically what this shows is that the fundamental structure of government has not had to change at all as outside forces have always dictated what was happening.

stuart said:
Saturday, November 24, 2012 @ 11:41 AM

I bought at the high end of the market 6 years ago.I would gladly take 160 euros for my property.The love affair is over after visiting for over 30 years.I totally agree with Elizabeth.

Peter said:
Saturday, November 24, 2012 @ 12:33 PM

I love the place. I bought at just the wrong time, when prices were at their highest. I have no plans to sell and can't wait to be old enough to retire full time.

Robbie said:
Sunday, November 25, 2012 @ 10:21 AM

John is correct. It also works the other way. My sister took a huge financial hit just to get rid of her property on the nightmare Mazarron Country Club and the tax authorities chased her because they said she sold it below the market value. The tax man wanted the tax on what he thought it was worth, not on what she actually sold it for.