Rubbish tax

Hi. We live in the campo of Monovar, Alicante.

A new SUMA tax for us arrived last week.

Obviously in Spanish, so a visit to the office to find out what it was all about. It is for "Recogida residues solidos urban".  Rubbish collection. Dated back to 2016, so a 2 year figure of 170 euros to pay.

Does anybody know when and how this was introduced. Is it based on a percentage of the main SUMA house bill?

 Only somehouseholds have them. So why us, when we don' t even have a bin near us. We take all our rubbish out with us in 

the car and deposit it inthe town bins.

I dont mind paying a charge but suddenly to receive a back dated bill that not many people know about with out anywarning is a bit rich even for the Spanish authorities.

Your answers and views much appreciated.

I have been told, true or not, because I haven't bothered to go any further with it, that this tax is to cover the fact that many households put furniture /  household goods etc on the floor by the large bins that wont go in the bins, or shouldn't anyway, sounds like a tax to cover the bin men picking it up....If this is correct.

Rubbish collection used to be charged in with your water bills. Indeed, some areas still do (ours does).

However, some areas changed (all to do with contracts and town halls not paying bills) and issued separate bills and the water bills were reduced accordingly. You should have had a letter about this telling you to set up a new standing order or pay the bills at SUMA (if you are in the Alicante region, SUMA is the name of the agency responsible for collecting local taxes in Alicante).

So it's not a new "tax", it's the payment for rubbish collection which you have always paid although in a different way.

Thanks for the info.

Never had any letters and some years I have to chase the office for the SUMA